On August 7, 2023, the body of 41-year-old Ermias Mekonnen Tassew was found inside a vehicle parked in the 3300 block of Central Expressway in Plano, Texas. The body, reported missing from Garland, was in an advanced stage of decomposition; an autopsy at the Collin County Medical Examiner’s office determined he did not die of natural causes and opened a homicide investigation.

Investigators concluded the killing occurred elsewhere. Dallas police told Plano detectives about a July 30, 4 a.m. shooting at Royal Park in Dallas where officers found a pool of blood and shell casings but no victim. That inquiry led to the arrest of 19-year-old Zemarion Winters, who was charged with Tassew’s murder. According to the arrest affidavit, Winters at first denied involvement but later said he shot Tassew after encountering him at a DART station and being offered a ride, then left the body in the Plano vehicle.

Anyone with information about Tassew, his movements in late July 2023, or the incident at Royal Park is asked to come forward.