Don Gentry

More than two decades have passed, but the violent death of Don Gentry remains a painful, unanswered question for his family and investigators. Don, a 28-year-old Black man from Columbus, Ohio, was found deceased in the early days of the new millennium. The discovery was made on Friday, January 7, 2000, in a parking lot at 3250 Alleghany Avenue. He had been shot, and the circumstances that led to his killing in that parking lot are still unknown.

Details about Don’s personal life are not widely known, leaving only the stark facts of his death to tell his story. His case is a quiet but persistent entry in the state’s cold case files, a reminder of a life cut short and a crime yet to be solved. The location where his body was discovered is on the East Side of Columbus, in an area with a mix of apartment complexes and commercial properties. What brought him to that specific parking lot and who he met there are central questions that have gone unanswered for years.

The initial investigation was handled by the Columbus Police Department. Detectives would have processed the scene, collected evidence, and interviewed potential witnesses, but no information has ever been publicly released about what, if anything, was found. There were no immediate arrests, and as days turned into weeks and then years, the case grew cold. Without new leads to follow, the active investigation stalled, leaving a void for those who knew and cared for Don.

His case is now listed among the unsolved homicides on the Ohio Attorney General's public database, a resource maintained by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) to bring fresh attention to cases that have exhausted all leads. This platform provides a brief, somber summary of the incident, hoping to jog a memory or prick a conscience. The BCI works with local agencies like the Columbus Police Department to ensure these cases are not forgotten, leveraging public visibility in the hope that someone, somewhere, holds the key to unlocking the truth.

A potential piece of Don Gentry's story may lie in a Franklin County court document from a separate 1995 homicide case. In testimony related to that case, a defendant mentioned having a cousin named Don Gentry, who was also known as "Big Mike." This Don Gentry reportedly lived in the neighborhood of the 1995 shooting and had information relevant to that trial. The court records note that this Don Gentry died in January 2000, a direct match to the date of the homicide on Alleghany Avenue. Whether this connection is a simple coincidence or a thread that could unravel the mystery of Don's own death remains unclear.

As of today, the investigation into the murder of Don Gentry remains open but inactive, pending new information. The Columbus Police Department and the Ohio BCI continue to solicit tips from the public. They believe that someone has the information needed to bring resolution to this long-standing case and provide a measure of justice for Don Gentry. Anyone with knowledge about the events leading to his death on January 7, 2000, is encouraged to come forward.