On February 19, 2015, a robbery at a North Main Street residence in Syracuse, Indiana, ended in deadly violence. Nineteen-year-old Joshua R. Knisley, who worked as a cook and hoped to become a firefighter or police officer, was visiting his friend Tara Thornburg when three men who posed as marijuana buyers entered the home with a plan to rob Thornburg. The situation escalated when Brandon Woody produced a handgun; Thornburg was struck and shot in the face, and Joshua Knisley was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene. Thornburg was airlifted to a Fort Wayne hospital and died the following day after identifying her attacker to the first officer on scene.

Investigators quickly located Woody and Kyle DeHart and learned the suspects had gone to DeHart’s parents’ home and attempted to destroy evidence by burning clothes and shoes. Thomas Hursey later cooperated with authorities, describing the planning, execution and cover-up. Charges were also filed against DeHart’s mother, Joan DeHart, and his girlfriend, Ashlyn Shepard, for helping hide or destroy evidence. At trial in October 2016, Woody and DeHart were convicted of two counts of murder; Hursey pleaded in exchange for his testimony and received a sentence for aiding in a robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. Did anyone in the Syracuse area know Joshua or have information about that night?