WSVN — Scott Park is a big park, a great place to have fun.
Devante Quinn liked it.
Sherreva Campbell, Devante's Mom: "He didn't go every day, but when he did go, he'd say, 'Mom, I'm just going to the park for a little while.' And I'd be like, 'OK.'"
Seventeen-year-old Devante, nicknamed Quan, hung out at the park with his best friend, nicknamed Waldo.
Angela Jones, Devante's Aunt: "Quan, we called him, was like a gentle giant, because he's big but he was really a sweetheart."
Nine months ago, Devante got a call from Waldo and headed to the park. It was the last time his mother would see him alive.
Sherreva Campbell, Devante's Mom: "I checked his room several times that evening, and I noticed he wasn't in his room. He's never stayed away from the house, so immediately I know something is wrong with my son."
Sherreva then went to see the friend Devante had gone to meet at the park.
Sherreva Campbell, Devante's Mom: "And I asked, 'Have you seen my son Quan?' His arm was trembling and shaking. He said, 'I wasn't the last one with him,' and when I saw that, I knew that something was going on."
Sherreva called Miami Gardens Police. For 10 days, everyone looked for Devante.
Then, FPL groundskeepers made a discovery on their property, just two blocks from Devante's home.
Detective Joseph Marinella, Miami Gardens Police: "He was found right in this area, right through here. It's my guess that he'd been there since close to the time he went missing."
Devante had been shot once, and his body dumped here.
Patricia Quinn, Devante's Grandmother: "It was devastating, because we couldn't in our wildest mind think that something like that could happen to him."
Patrick Fraser: "Detectives think Devante was murdered somewhere else and brought to this spot. The only way the killers got his body here was to carry it. Now Devante was 6 feet 2 inches, about 280 pounds. A big man, meaning there had to be more than one person to get his body back here."
Detective Joseph Marinella, Miami Gardens Police: "They would have had to have carried him a long distance to carry somebody who is not helping get back to that area, so it would have taken two, maybe more to get him to the location where he was found."
But no one has come forward, and when Sherreva went back to talk to the friend who asked Devante to meet him at the park, his family said he wasn't around anymore.
Sherreva Campbell, Devante's Mom: "You moved him away, you changed his phone number. I could no longer contact him, and I could no longer talk to him. He's just gone. Just like that."
Police haven't been able to find a witness to the murder, but they know there are some.
Detective Joseph Marinella, Miami Gardens Police: "Several people know about this and just have not come forward."
Without any information, Devante's family is left to wonder why.
Sherreva Campbell, Devante's Mom: "I want to know what did he do to make someone kill him in the manner in which they did."
Why he was killed can be answered when someone tells police who.
Patricia Quinn, Devante's Grandmother: "We know somebody out there knows something. All they have to do is just pick up the phone."
Just pick up a phone and make an anonymous call.
Angela Jones, Devante's Aunt: "I miss him. I loved the heck out of him, and it's tearing me apart to see my sister in agony and pain, and I can't do nothing for her. It's devastating."
One anonymous phone call can get killers off the street and get some questions answered for a family. If you know anything about the murder of Devante Quinn last July, give Crime Stoppers a call.
And if you have lost a loved one and would like to help police track down the killer, give us a call, and see how many people are still Out for Justice.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Out For Justice: 305-598-HELP (4357) in Miami-Dade or 954-796-HELP (4357) in Broward