INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Homicide detectives are looking for answers — and suspects — after a man was found dead inside a downtown Indianapolis apartment.

Just after 2 p.m. Wednesday, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were sent to the 14th floor of Barton Tower in the 500 block of Massachusetts Avenue for a welfare check.

Officers entered an apartment and found a man, identified as 65-year-old Forest Hill Jr., “who sustained injuries consistent consistent with trauma” inside an apartment. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

His family tells News 8 he was found on his bed with blood and money surrounding him and beaten.

“A mess. Blood everywhere,” his sister, Rece Hill, said.

Rece Hill said her brother had been released from prison in July before moving into the apartment. He hoped to make a new life for himself there.

Several family members said that despite the building’s security team and cameras, they felt he would have been safer in prison.

One of the main unanswered questions Rece Hill is focused on centers on who made the first call. She says the man claimed to be Forest Hill’s nephew, but none of his nephews said they made that call.

“When they find you,” Rece Hill said. “I will pay them to let me do the same thing to you. Because it’s sad. It’s selfish. You’re the devil.”

Torrence Johnson, the victim’s longtime friend, said he was the last person to speak to Forest Hill before he walked back into his complex on Wednesday.

“I had my back turned and he called me,” Johnson said. “I turned around and said, ‘Hey Forest’ and he was telling me about his sister, Paulena, who had asked about me and we was talking about old times. “

Community advocate Leslie Allen runs a daycare clinic for seniors that live in the complex. She’s worked in the area for over 30 years.

“They are slipping through the cracks down here, but on the average, since I’ve been in this area, I’ve known I lost over 30 people down here and most of them has been to fatalities.”

In Forest Hill’s case, his family will keep fighting for answers.

She also made sure to point out that her brother was a father and had many family members who loved him. He is the third member of their family to be killed in a homicide in the past year.

His nephew, Michael Shoffner, was killed in April 2023.

“I’m not going to stop looking for you, starting today,” Rece Hill said. “Because who is to say you won’t do this to somebody else?”

Barton Towers is run by the Indianapolis Housing Agency.

“The Indianapolis Housing Agency (IHA) confirms that a homicide occurred at Barton Towers,” IHA said in a statement to News 8. “Out of respect for the family, the IHA will not be making further comments while the investigation is ongoing. We are committed to working closely with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD). We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family affected by this tragic event.”

Anyone with information was asked to contact Det. David Miller at the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or e-mail him at david.miller2@indy.gov.