Dylan Dakota Whetzel, 20, was found dead in a Spotsylvania County, Virginia, woodlot on February 1, 2021. His dismembered remains were discovered concealed in multiple trash bags; investigators determined he had been shot in the head multiple times and then dismembered with an ax. He had been reported missing before the discovery.

The investigation led to arrests of three former high school classmates: Brennan Thomas, then 19; Domonic Samuels, then 18; and Bronwyn Meeks, then 21. An earlier arrest of Dominic McCall was later dropped after forensic evidence. The three remaining defendants were charged with an array of more than 80 counts, including first-degree murder, murder by mob, and defilement of a dead body.

Prosecutors say the motive began after Whetzel confronted Meeks about selling drugs to a friend who had a non-fatal overdose. Meeks allegedly enlisted Samuels and Thomas; the trio lured Whetzel out by saying they were going to a party, stopped for McDonald’s described in text messages as his last meal, then drove to a remote spot where he was shot. Thomas and Samuels later bought an ax and dismembered the body, which was found after Thomas’s grandfather discovered them in the woods.

Does anyone have information about Whetzel’s last known movements or saw him with these individuals before February 1, 2021?