Dennis Jerome Smith Jr., 29, was found dead outside his home in Chadbourn, North Carolina, on December 29, 2018. The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office responded just after 8 p.m. that Saturday. Reports state he was shot outside his residence, and his death prompted a homicide investigation.

Smith Jr. was born January 22, 1989, in Whiteville, North Carolina. He was the son of Dennis Jerome Smith and Diane McLean Simpson and is survived by his wife, Shyniece Bell Smith, and their children Ahmari Jerome Smith and Paris Bell Phillips. A funeral service was held January 6, 2019, at Saint Stephens Holiness Church in Tabor City.

The investigation remains ongoing and no arrests or suspects have been publicly identified. If anyone has information about what happened to Dennis Jerome Smith Jr., please come forward.