Farmers Branch police and the Texas Rangers are working to piece together the details of the kidnapping of a Dallas man and two teenagers that ended in his execution.
The children were left on the side of a highway in another town and the victim's vehicle was later discovered an hour away, Farmers Branch police reported.
Three suspects are still at large and may be traveling in a light-colored four-door sedan.
“We don't believe this was random,” said Lt. Terry Eoff of the Farmers Branch Police Department. “It's definitely unusual and definitely disturbing. Anytime someone is killed, it's disturbing.”
Eoff spoke to media representatives Tuesday afternoon, revealing few details about what she described as an “isolated” attack that began at the Forest Ridge Apartments in north Dallas.
The victim, 33-year-old Nilzuly Petit of Dallas, was reportedly driving his friend's black Toyota 4-Runner around midnight Saturday. Petit was on his way to the Fair Oaks Crossing apartment complex with two teenagers after attending a party.
The police have not released any details about the party or said whether there is a connection between the victim and the teenagers.
“Through our investigation, we discovered that he was abducted along with two teenagers from some apartments at Fair Oaks Crossing in Dallas,” Eoff said.
Over the next three hours, police say, the victims were transferred to a white or beige four-door car and ended up in the 1100 block of Valley View Lane in Farmers Branch, where police say Petit was shot in the head. His body was left at the scene.
A motorist reported a body around 3:40 a.m. Petit was shot sometime between 3:00 and 3:40 a.m.
“The two juveniles were then transported to Lewisville via I-35 and Corporate, where they were let out of the vehicle,” Eoff said. They were observed by a Lewisville police officer as they walked on the access road.”
The minors were medically examined and spoke to the police.
“They are cooperating with us. I am not at liberty to tell you what they have told us,” said Eoff.
The 4-Runner the victim was driving was later found about an hour east of Lewisville in the city of Greenville.
“We have three suspects, two Hispanic men in the vehicles that took him. And then we know there's a third who was driving the vehicle and swapped it,” Eoff said.
Eoff would not say who lived in the Dallas apartments or whether the case is believed to be drug- or gang-related, nor would he discuss what has been discovered about the victim.
“We can’t tell you anything at the moment,” he said.
Farmers Branch Police are asking for any witnesses to come forward, especially those from Lewisville and Greenville.
“If anyone saw the bright sedan when they let the children out of the vehicle [in Lewisville] or if they saw it when they dumped the 4-runner in Greenville,” Eoff said.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information about it is asked to contact the Farmers Branch Police Department at (972) 919-1406 or via email at [email protected].
According to FBPD, anyone who only speaks Spanish and has information about this case can leave a message and a Spanish-speaking officer will contact them.
