Christopher Smith, 56, who had been staying at a homeless shelter on Detroit’s west side, was killed in the early morning hours of February 4, 2016. His body was found on Detroit’s east side at the intersection of Sylvester and Helen by a couple walking through the area; the scene suggested he had been left along the side of the road.

Detectives described Smith as largely free of the kinds of trouble that often complicate a homicide investigation, and said they had little to work with initially: no clear public description of a suspect, no announced motive, and no immediate trail explaining why he ended up miles from the shelter where he had been living. Investigators appealed for help and asked anyone with information to contact the Detroit Police Homicide Tip Line at 313-596-2260 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

Did anyone in the area that night see or hear anything that could explain how Christopher Smith came to be at Sylvester and Helen?