Dionycio Coach, a 27-year-old Black man known to friends and family as "Mase," was a graduate of Detroit City High and a member of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. For over two years, he worked with a company called Scorpion III, winterizing homes. He was looking forward to becoming a father, with a daughter on the way.
Late on the night of Thursday, September 3, 2015, Dionycio was on his way to pick up his girlfriend in Detroit. According to police, he received a phone call while driving. The caller, who has never been identified, asked Dionycio to meet him on 18th Street on the city's west side.
Shortly after midnight, a 911 caller reported hearing the sound of gunshots in that same area, specifically between Poplar and Buchanan streets. When officers from the Detroit Police Department responded to the scene, they discovered Dionycio's 2015 black Ford Edge. He was inside the vehicle, deceased behind the wheel.
An investigation determined he had been shot to death.
The loss devastated Dionycio’s family. Seven months after he was killed, his daughter, Maci, was born. At a news conference, his mother, Gerlanda Coach, addressed his killer directly. "You know who you are; you know what you did," she said, surrounded by loved ones. "I just don't know if you know what you did to me and my family, my children. I don't know if you understand what you took away from us. You took my child."
As of July 2016, the investigation into Dionycio Coach's murder was ongoing, but no arrests had been made. The case remains unsolved. Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $2,500 for anonymous tips that lead to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-SPEAK-UP or text CSM and the tip to CRIMES (2746370).
