Five years after a Southeast man was found shot dead behind a Dumpster, D.C. cold case detectives are searching for anything to jump-start the investigation.
On Jan. 8, 2004, 19-year-old Keith Capies returned home from work and said “Hello” to his parents. He then went back outside, where he planned to meet a couple of friends and hang out for the evening.
When his friends came looking for him outside his parents’ house at 3064 Stanton Road, Capies was nowhere to be found.
They searched the area for a while and eventually happened upon Capies’ body next to a Dumpster behind the house. He had suffered a bullet wound to the head. The teenager was pronounced dead and taken to the D.C. Medical Examiner’s Office.
Several neighbors recall hearing a gunshot, but no one came forward with more information at the time, according to police. With little evidence to work on, the investigation quickly ground to a halt.
“It’s a real tough case,” said D.C. police Detective Jim Trainum. “Everything that could be followed up on at the time was.”
Trainum is in charge of the city’s Violent Crime Case Review project, which is responsible for all cold case murders in the District dating back to the 1960s.
With nearly 4,000 open cases and only 13 detectives in the unit, the majority of the investigations are simply on hold as police wait for information that could provide new insight on a case.
Keith Capies’ slaying falls into this large category. Police are hoping someone will come forward with a tip that allows them to reopen the case.
“The only thing to do is to try to publicize it and generate new leads,” Trainum said.
Anyone with information pertaining to this case is urged to contact the D.C. police at 202-727-9099 or call the CRIMESOLVERS hot line at 1-866-411-TIPS.
The department is offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest in this case.
