Quentin Sandelin

On February 23, 2012, a violent crime on Detroit’s west side claimed the lives of two men, 20-year-old Quentin Sandelin and 50-year-old Frederick Parker. The double homicide occurred at a commercial property located at 7303 West McNichols Road, leaving a case that has remained without answers for over a decade. Quentin was a young Black man at the beginning of his adult life, while Frederick was a generation older. Their connection and the reason they were together that day remain one of the central, unanswered questions in their unsolved murders.

The incident took place in the Bagley neighborhood, an area known for its distinctive brick homes and its proximity to the University of Detroit Mercy. The property at 7303 West McNichols, a commercial building constructed in the mid-1940s, was described in some reports as an auto service station. On that Thursday, Detroit Police Department officers were called to the location, where they discovered both Quentin and Frederick had been fatally shot. The specific details of what transpired inside the building, the motive behind the attack, and whether it was a targeted act or a robbery gone wrong have never been released to the public.

Detectives from the Detroit Police Department's Homicide Unit immediately launched an investigation. They processed the scene for evidence and canvassed the commercial corridor of McNichols Road, a busy thoroughfare also known as 6 Mile Road, for any potential witnesses or surveillance footage that might have captured the moments leading up to or following the shooting. Despite their efforts, the initial investigation did not yield any publicly identified suspects or persons of interest. The flow of information soon went quiet, and the case joined the tragic list of the city’s unsolved homicides for 2012, a year that saw nearly 400 killings in Detroit.

In the years that followed, the investigation into the murders of Quentin Sandelin and Frederick Parker grew cold. No arrests have ever been made, and no charges have been filed in connection with their deaths. The case has not been publicly linked to any other crimes, and the identities of the person or persons responsible remain a mystery. For the families of Quentin and Frederick, the lack of resolution has meant a prolonged and painful wait for justice. The absence of public memorials, vigils, or fundraisers in the available records speaks to the quiet and personal grief they have endured.

The building where the two men lost their lives stood for years as a silent monument to the unsolved crime. Nearly a decade later, the blighted property was slated for redevelopment, part of a broader effort to revitalize the area. While the physical landscape of the neighborhood has begun to change, the memory of the lives lost there remains. The double homicide is a stark reminder of the violence that has affected so many families in the city.

As of today, the case officially remains open but inactive. The Detroit Police Department has not released any new information or announced any new leads in recent years. The deaths of Quentin Sandelin and Frederick Parker are a cold case, waiting for a crucial tip or a new piece of evidence that could finally provide clarity and bring their killer or killers to justice. Without the voices of family and friends to share memories of who Quentin and Frederick were, their stories are largely defined by the tragic and unresolved circumstances of their final moments. The investigation continues, and any information could be the key to closing this painful chapter for their loved ones.