Shawn Alexander Spry, 21, of Salisbury, North Carolina, was found dead outside an apartment complex on South Link Avenue on July 31, 2017, the victim of an apparent gunshot wound. A passerby discovered his body after Spry’s mother, Tomasa Furr, his sister, and his girlfriend, Hayley Head, had reported him missing earlier that day. Identifying marks included a 704 tattoo on his chest and a K and heart on his index finger.

Investigators say Spry met Joseph William Whitmire, also known as Joey Portis, to sell marijuana. According to warrants, Spry was driven to the complex by friend Matthew Taylor Childress, who heard a single gunshot and then found Spry dead. Detectives linked Whitmire to a social media account under the name Joe Portis and compared it to his booking photo; another man, Travis Abbitt, was later implicated after admitting knowledge of Whitmire. Cell phone evidence from Childress showed earlier communications with Whitmire had been deleted.

Spry had been a South Rowan High School graduate and an avid basketball player who hoped to play professionally. His family and friends remember him as loyal and caring. Did anyone see Spry, Whitmire, Childress, or Abbitt in the South Link Avenue area on July 31, 2017?