Tragedy struck the Providence Division this past Wednesday when, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department release, 79-year-old Mr. Fred Dunlap was found deceased from what appeared to be trauma. The body of the elderly man was discovered in the 1000 block of Bobby Lane, thereby starting a police investigation that has quickly evolved.
Charlotte police, swiftly moving to piece together the events leading up to Mr. Dunlap’s untimely death, managed to quickly identify a suspect. It was Mr. Dunlap's own kin, 21-year-old Desmond Elijah Dunlap, who was pegged as the suspect and had to then be located and apprehended. With assistance from FBI Charlotte, CMPD's Violent Criminal Apprehension Team were able to successfully arrest Desmond Dunlap without further incident the following Thursday morning.
Post-arrest, the suspect was taken to Uptown’s Law Enforcement Center, where he was interviewed by detectives. At the end of this exchange, he faced transfer into the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. The charges laid out against Desmond Dunlap are severe, including murder, financial transaction card theft, and obtaining property by false pretense, painting a grim picture of the events surrounding Mr. Fred Dunlap’s death.
The investigation, as stated by officials, remains active and ongoing. Information is to continue to flow from CMPD's Public Affairs Office as it develops. Meanwhile, the department is urging anyone with knowledge of the incident to come forward and speak directly with a Homicide Unit detective or to leave information anonymously through the designated outlets - a testament to their commitment to thoroughly solve to fully understand the gravity of what transpired on Bobby Lane. Detective Haulsee has been assigned as the lead to cull through the evidence at hand. Family members of Mr. Fred Dunlap have been notified about the tragic outcome and are likely grappling with this double-edged sorrow of loss and betrayal.
The community and authorities alike are working to uncover more about this case, and public assistance continues to be a critical component in piecing together this devastating puzzle. Anyone with potentially valuable information is urged to make contact via Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or through their website.
