Joshua James Smelser, 39, was fatally shot in his Detroit home on the evening of September 5, 2020. Neighbors reported hearing multiple gunshots and then seeing someone flee the house carrying a backpack that contained Joshua’s laptop, phone, and credit cards; the witness pursuit lost the person in the dark. The killing was described as a senseless act of gun violence during a robbery.

Joshua had moved to Detroit about nine months before his death. He worked in healthcare at the Henry Ford Health System and pursued videography and photography for musical artists. Friends and family remembered him as gentle and kind; his interest in otters earned him the nickname Otterfreak and led him to travel to see different species.

Authorities said the investigation identified a suspect who used online dating apps to target gay men and that the probe connected this killing to an earlier armed robbery. Video and audio from several cameras were described as part of the evidence. Does anyone who knew Joshua or who was in that neighborhood on September 5, 2020, have details that could add to the timeline?