On the evening of December 22, 2016, 22-year-old Henok G. Yohannes of Ethiopian-American descent was found fatally shot inside his Springfield home on Blarney Stone Court. A family member discovered his body; investigators reported trauma to the upper body that was later identified as two gunshot wounds to the back of the head. Fairfax County police said the killing did not appear to be a random act.

The following morning, the body of 22-year-old Kedest Sileshi Simeneh was found in the backyard of a Burke home; she too had suffered trauma to the upper body and her death was ruled a homicide. Authorities linked the two deaths and said the events began with a drug deal at Yohannes’s home where a dispute arose over payment for marijuana. Investigators identified Yohannes Nessibu as the primary suspect, and reported that after Yohannes was shot, Nessibu and a group including Simeneh left; later that night Nessibu allegedly shot Simeneh and fled the country the next day.

Anyone who knew Henok, his movements on December 22, 2016, or has information about the events that night is asked to come forward.