Nineteen-year-old Javien Perch of Reading, Pennsylvania, was last seen on March 28, 2023, walking south on North 10th Street reportedly heading to a friend’s house. His family reported him missing on March 30 after he failed to return; a family search using a cellphone app turned up one of his earbuds near Moss Street.

On April 5, 2023, Perch’s body was found in woods along Oak Lane near the Reading and Alsace Township line. The Reading Police Department opened a homicide investigation; an autopsy determined he had been shot ten times, described as an execution-style killing. Investigators say Perch was forcibly put into a vehicle on North 10th Street, taken to the secluded Oak Lane location, forced up a slope and shot. Reportedly the suspects demanded his phone passwords and logged out of his accounts.

By late August 2023 three people were charged in the kidnapping and murder: Hector L. Torres, 20, of Leesport; and two 19-year-olds from Reading, Vashon A. Winfield and Ansari Jalal. Torres was arraigned on multiple counts, Winfield was held without bail, and Jalal was being sought. If anyone has information about Javien or Ansari Jalal’s whereabouts, please contact the Reading Police Department or Crime Alert Berks County.