Page 95 of Collateral Damage
I flip it open, already knowing the contents by heart, yet needing the finality of the paper trail for closure.
Baltimore Police Department
Criminal Investigations Division
Case No.: 26-02187-BUR
Reporting Detective: Det. Jonathan Mercer #3921
Date: February 18, 2026
SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT – CASE DISPOSITION
On 02/03/2026 at approximately 2248 hours, officers responded to a reported attempted burglary at the residence of Ava Morrison, Baltimore, MD.
Damage to a rear basement window indicated forced entry. Latent fingerprints recovered from the window frame and interior sill were processed through AFIS and matched to Thomas Grady (DOB 03/11/1976), a transient with prior misdemeanor arrests. Grady was arrested on 02/08/2026 and charged with Attempted Burglary – 1st Degree and Malicious Destruction of Property.
During interview, Grady stated he had been paid $300 by an unknown male to “leave prints and make it look like a break-in.” This claim could not initially be corroborated.
Subsequent investigation into an ongoing stalking complaint involving Ava Morrison identified a suspect operating under the alias Reagan O’Connell. Digital forensic analysis later confirmed the individual as Reagan Mitchell (DOB 07/19/1980). Financial and cellular records placed Mitchell in contact with Grady prior to the staged burglary and near Morrison’s residence at the time of the offense.
On 02/16/2026 Mitchell was located at a remote cabin in the Gambrill Mountain area by Silas Hightower, acting as a licensed private security contractor and personal protection agent for Morrison.
Mitchell initiated gunfire, striking Hightower in the upper arm. The structure and adjacent outbuilding had been intentionally sabotaged and rigged with an explosive device. A pursuit and physical altercation followed, during which Mitchell deployed an explosive device.
Mitchell sustained fatal injuries during the confrontation and was pronounced deceased at the scene by responding EMS personnel.
The Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the incident and ruled Hightower’s use of force justified self-defense.
As a result of these findings:
• Charges against Thomas Grady were dismissed on 02/17/2026.
• Evidence confirms Grady was paid to stage forensic evidence.
• Reagan Mitchell is identified as the primary offender responsible for the stalking and related crimes.
Case Status: Closed – Offender Deceased
Report submitted,
Det. Jonathan Mercer #3921
Baltimore Police Department
I close the file.
The report says what it says. It doesn’t say what it was like on that mountain, what Ava looked like gripping a rifle she never should have had to pick up, or what days in a cell cost a man who had nothing to begin with.
Thomas Grady has been out since yesterday.
She delivers donuts to that community every Saturday morning. She will find out, and when she does, there won’t be a force on earth capable of stopping her from looking for him.
I don’t intend to try.
I set the file to one side and pull the next one toward me. My shoulder registers the movement before I do; I wait for the white-hot flash to pass before I pick up the folder containing Ben's update on Adena.
No change in status.
