Jerome Lawrence, 31, was last seen on October 7, 2020, when he went to the 5400 block of North 5th Street in Philadelphia reportedly to meet a man about a debt. He arrived with his cousin, 47-year-old Sindrell Oliver; surveillance footage shows the two entering a tax preparation shop in Olney and they were not seen leaving. Texts to Lawrence’s girlfriend confirmed he reached the location, then all contact stopped.

Both men were reported missing on October 11, 2020. The shop owner was uncooperative with police, and the case lay cold for more than a year and a half. On June 20, 2022, officers acting on a tip searched a residence on the 4800 block of North Front Street and found the two men buried in the basement. Autopsies showed both had been shot and their deaths were ruled homicides.

No arrests have been announced and the investigation is ongoing; a $5,000 reward has been offered for information that could lead to a resolution. If anyone knew Lawrence or Oliver, saw them on October 7, 2020, or has information about the tax preparation shop or the Front Street residence, please come forward.