In the late autumn of 2015, 36-year-old Bryon Howard of Des Moines, Iowa, was found dead alongside his fiancée, Heather Belieu. On Monday, November 30, 2015, both were discovered in the basement of a Center Street home; each had been shot multiple times while they were sleeping. Belieu was holding her infant child at the time of the shooting. Howard is described as a man with a good heart who liked to help people.

Investigators quickly focused on 39-year-old Michael Wanchanic, who lived in the same house but was not related to the victims. Criminal complaints allege Wanchanic retrieved a gun from a case in his stepmother’s room and used it in the killings. A citizen tip placed Wanchanic’s vehicle at a gas station, triggering a police pursuit that ended when his minivan broke down on Highway 141. After a several-hour standoff during which he was armed and threatened self-harm, Wanchanic surrendered and was arrested. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and held in the Polk County Jail; in January 2017 he was reported to be seeking a plea hearing.

If anyone knew Bryon Howard, his relationships, or saw anything around the Center Street home on or before November 30, 2015, please share what you know.