Gayland Delanore Allen Jr., 24, was last seen on December 28, 2019, leaving his Aurora home and getting into the backseat of a car, according to surveillance footage. Family members reported him missing on December 30 after he failed to respond to calls. On January 1, 2020, human remains found in the Jefferson County foothills were identified as Allen; the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office determined his death was from a gunshot wound.

Investigators say the meeting that night began as a drug sale: Allen was meeting a 15-year-old female to sell marijuana when she arrived with three other juveniles, including 17-year-old Xavion Johnson. Authorities report an altercation in a vehicle during which Johnson shot Allen. The group then drove to Lookout Mountain and disposed of Allen’s body over a guardrail. Three of the teenagers were later arrested the same day on an unrelated shoplifting charge in Denver, which led to uncovering their involvement in Allen’s death.

In May 2021, Xavion Johnson, then 17, was sentenced to 48 years in prison for the murder; two other juveniles also received sentences for roles in the killing. Did anyone know Allen’s routine or the people he might have met that week?