Before dawn on September 16, 2021, firefighters and Birmingham police responded to a house fire in the Kingston area, in the 4500 block of 11th Avenue North. After the flames were knocked down, 33-year-old Christopher Diltz was found dead inside the home. The Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner determined Diltz had been stabbed multiple times and that those stab wounds—not the fire—were believed to be the cause of death.

The subsequent blaze left a charred scene that complicated the early investigation and led loved ones to describe the fire as seeming like a deliberate effort to destroy evidence. Police said few details were available about why Diltz may have been targeted or who could be responsible and publicly sought tips; reports from that period named no suspect and did not report any arrest. Family members remembered Diltz as service-minded, noted concerns they had during his service in Iraq, and planned a celebration of life at Woodlawn High School while investigators continued their work.

Did anyone in the Birmingham area see or hear anything around 11th Avenue North before dawn on September 16, 2021, that could help investigators?