In December 2003 the bodies of three teenage boys were discovered encased in concrete in the basement of a Hammond, Indiana house rented by 49-year-old David Maust. The victims were 19-year-old Nick James, 16-year-old James Raganyi, and 13-year-old Michael Dennis. All three had been reported missing before the grim find; the victims’ bodies were wrapped in plastic and entombed in concrete.

The coroner concluded that Nick James died of blunt force trauma to the head. The two younger boys were believed to have been strangled or suffocated. Maust, who had prior convictions including the 1981 murder of a 15-year-old in Illinois and a manslaughter conviction while serving in the U.S. Army in Germany, was arrested and charged with three counts of murder. To avoid a potential death sentence he pleaded guilty and received three consecutive life terms without parole.

If anyone knew Nick James or has information about his last days, please share what you remember.