Nearly three years have passed since Ascenzio “Slanz” Bilello, 24, collapsed on a quiet stretch of road in Prince George’s County, Maryland, but for his sister Elena Bilello the night of October 14, 2022, still feels like yesterday.

In an emotional interview with local Maryland media on February 5, 2026 — the eve of what would have been Slanz’s 27th birthday — Elena spoke publicly for the first time about the unresolved killing that has left her family in limbo. “There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think about him,” she said, voice steady but eyes glistening. “I replay that night over and over. We thought it was a car accident. Then the doctors told us there was a bullet in his head. Everything stopped. The world just… froze.”

Slanz was found unresponsive behind the wheel of his black Honda Civic on a rural stretch of Old Gunpowder Road shortly after 11:30 p.m. Initial responding officers believed he had lost control and crashed into a tree. Paramedics rushed him to the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center, where emergency surgery revealed the devastating truth: a single .40-caliber bullet had entered through the driver’s-side window, struck Slanz in the left temple, and lodged in his brain. He never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at 2:17 a.m. on October 15.

The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit quickly reclassified the incident as a homicide. Ballistics confirmed the shot was fired from outside the vehicle, most likely from a passing car or someone standing on the shoulder. No shell casings were recovered at the scene. Slanz’s phone showed he had been on a call with a friend just minutes earlier; the call ended abruptly at 11:28 p.m. No signs of robbery, no known enemies, no gang affiliations — nothing that would explain why someone would target a 24-year-old line cook and aspiring musician described by everyone who knew him as “gentle, funny, and always trying to make people laugh.”

Elena’s voice broke when she spoke about the aftermath. “We kept waiting for them to say they had a suspect, a lead, anything. Three years later… nothing. No arrest. No person of interest named. Just silence.” She described how the family has lived in a state of suspended grief — holidays feel hollow, birthdays pass without celebration, and every time a similar case makes the news, the wound reopens.

The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit has continued to list the case as active and unsolved. A $10,000 reward remains in place for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Detectives say they have interviewed dozens of witnesses, reviewed hundreds of hours of nearby surveillance, and examined Slanz’s phone records and social-media activity. Yet no clear suspect has emerged. The absence of a motive continues to frustrate investigators and devastate the family.

Slanz’s mother, Maria Bilello, has become a quiet advocate for unsolved homicide victims, attending vigils and speaking at community events about the toll of living without answers. “He was our light,” she said in a separate interview last year. “Someone took him from us and walked away. How do you move on when the person who did this is still out there?”

The case has also reignited broader conversations about gun violence, unsolved homicides in suburban areas, and the emotional toll on families left in limbo. Prince George’s County has one of the highest rates of unsolved homicides in Maryland, and advocates say cases like Slanz’s highlight systemic issues in investigation resources and community trust.

For Elena, the pain is daily and unrelenting. “He was only 24,” she said. “He was planning to propose to his girlfriend. He wanted to open his own restaurant one day. He had dreams. Someone stole all of that in a single second. And we still don’t know who or why.”

A small memorial — flowers, candles, and a photo of Slanz smiling — remains at the spot on Old Gunpowder Road where he was found. Every October 14, family and friends gather there to release balloons and share stories. Elena says she will keep returning “until the person who did this is held accountable.”

Three years on, justice for Slanz Bilello remains out of reach. But his sister refuses to let his name fade. “He was loved,” she said. “He mattered. And someone out there knows what happened that night. If you’re reading this… please come forward. Give us peace. Give him justice.”