Branden J. Bland, 39, was found shot to death inside a vehicle parked in the 4100 block of Sylvan Drive in Dayton on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 12, 2026. The vehicle had been parked there since the night before, and the Montgomery County Coroner confirmed the cause of death as a gunshot wound.

Known to friends and family as Pete, Bland worked as a home improvement contractor and was remembered as a devoted father, son, and friend. Dayton Police are treating the incident as a homicide; in the days after the discovery investigators had not released information about any suspect or suspects and no arrests had been announced. The investigation remains ongoing.

If anyone saw activity around Sylvan Drive on the night of August 11 into the morning of August 12, or has information about Mr. Bland’s death, please come forward to Dayton Police.