James Rutledge was 23 when he was found dead on February 25, 1980, in his Dayton, Ohio apartment on North Gettysburg Avenue. Police arrived after a neighbor reported hearing gunfire and discovered Rutledge propped against his apartment door with four gunshot wounds to the head. A firearm was found under his body, a detail that suggested either a struggle or a staged scene.

Another man, 34-year-old Kenneth Sneed, was also found dead in the same building but in a different location; he had been shot in the chest and was lying face down on the floor. Both deaths were ruled homicides, and the presence of two victims in one building has left key questions about motive and the sequence of events unresolved. Investigators and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation have sought public help over the years, but no viable leads have brought the case to a resolution.

If anyone knew James or Kenneth, or remembers anything about North Gettysburg Avenue around February 25, 1980, please share information with investigators.