Detroit neurosurgeon was shot twice in back of head before body dumped in crawlspace, autopsy reveals
Person of interest in case was arrested then released without any charges brought
A Detroit neurosurgeon was shot twice in the back of his head before being dragged and hidden in a crawl space at his grand historic home in the city, according to an autopsy report.
The body of Dr Devon Hoover was found last month at his home in the Boston-Edison area of the city by police covered with a comforter, a sheet and a rug.
The autopsy report by the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office states that he was first shot behind the right ear and then in the back of the head reports The Detroit Free Press.
Hoover was found only wearing one black sock, according to the report.
Fingernail clippings and samples were taken from Hoover’s body for a rape kit, the autopsy record states.
Police were called to the home on 23 April to perform a welfare check after being called by a concerned relative when he failed to show up to an event.
Detroit Police Chief James White has said that when officers arrived at the property, the evidence showed that something was wrong and they entered and found his body.
Police arrested a person of interest in connection with a separate case and the police chief said he was confident they had information about Hoover’s killing.
But no charges were ever brought and the person was later released.
Following the killing, Hoover’s home was broken into between Saturday 29 April and Sunday 30 April. Officials launched an investigation but did not say that it was linked to the homicide.
Dr Hoover had worked as a neurosurgeon in Detroit for more than 20 years.
According to Ascension Michigan’s website, Dr Devon Hoover, 53, was a “board-certified neurosurgeon and has a special interest in the treatment of neck and back disorders.”
“He completed his medical training at Indiana University School of Medicine, and his residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit,” the hospital’s biography said.
“He also completed fellowships, one in peripheral nerve surgery at Louisiana State University School of Medicine with Dr David Kline, and one in Pediatric Neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Michigan with pediatric neurosurgeon Dr Alexa Canady.”
His obituary stated that he was born in Indiana and was an uncle to “many” nieces and nephews, was one of seven children and had six sisters. The obituary stated that his mother Lauretta died four days after his murder.
“Devon was the fourth child of seven and the middle member of what the family affectionately called ‘the three little ones.’ He took initiative in this little group, planning their pretend games and determining the rules that governed their play. Games of Monopoly went on for days as he kept suggesting new rules to extend the game and helped negotiate bank loans for struggling players. His early life was not all play and included plenty of manual labor,” the obituary read.
“Until he left for college, Devon worked on the family dairy farm — milking the cows, planting and harvesting crops, and doing many other chores alongside the rest of the family.”