Unsolved Murder Mystery: Family Seeks Answers After Man Shot While Driving Home
For the family of Ascenzio 'Slanz' Bilello, what began as a routine evening drive home has transformed into a nearly three-year nightmare of unanswered questions and unresolved grief. The 53-year-old crane operator, known affectionately as Slanz to his loved ones, was on his way back to the dream home he built with his wife Julia in Deep Creek, Western Maryland, on the night of August 21, 2023. He never arrived.
A Tragic Night on Cranesville Road
The familiar stretch of Cranesville Road in the Oakland area should have been a safe passage for Bilello, who had traversed it countless times. Minutes from his neighbourhood, his white Ford Explorer suddenly crossed the centre line, struck an embankment, and careened into a tree at the bottom of a ravine. Initially, authorities responded to what appeared to be a tragic single-vehicle accident.
However, the truth was far more sinister. Bilello hadn't lost control of his vehicle due to driver error or mechanical failure. He had been shot in the head while driving. The bullet entered through the passenger-side window, striking him in the back of the head and causing the fatal crash. Nearly three years later, no arrests have been made, and the mystery of who fired the fatal shot continues to haunt his family and unsettle the small, rural community.
From Head Trauma to Homicide Discovery
When Bilello failed to return home that evening, his wife Julia grew concerned and called his mobile phone. A paramedic answered, delivering the distressing news that her husband had been involved in a car accident and was being airlifted to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia, with head trauma.
"I'm typically a very positive person," his sister Elena Bilello recalled, describing how she tried to reassure her frantic sister-in-law. "Head trauma didn't sound great but I told her that I was sure everything would be OK."
Nothing could have prepared the family for the shocking revelation that awaited them at the hospital. Doctors delivered the stunning news: Bilello had a bullet lodged in his head. The so-called accident was actually a homicide.
"[Julia] calls me and says the doctors told her there's bullet in my brother's head," Elena recounted. "I was like, what are you talking about? I was shocked. And like even then, I was thinking, but he was driving, driving home from work, on a rural road. How did this even happen?"
Investigation Stalls in Small Town Setting
Oakland, Maryland, with its population of roughly 1,800 residents, sits close to the West Virginia state line in Garrett County. Known for skiing, tourism, and a small Amish community, it's not the kind of place where residents expect gun violence. "This isn't inner city Baltimore," Elena emphasised. "It's a small, rural town where everybody knows everybody."
Despite the tight-knit community, Elena claims there has been little interest from locals in helping solve her brother's murder. Only one house stands near the crash site, and the resident who heard the collision and called 911 has been interviewed multiple times by investigators. Yet Elena says she has received no updates about the outcome of those interviews.
The family's efforts to seek information have met with resistance. Signs and fliers posted along Cranesville Road were repeatedly torn down, though who removed them remains unknown. "It seems that somebody doesn't want them to know the truth," Elena observed.
Family Criticises Investigation Progress
Nearly three years on, Elena believes the Garrett County Sheriff's Office has not done enough to solve the case. She claims investigators declined to reconstruct the crash and has expressed frustration at what she perceives as inadequate resources and attention devoted to the investigation.
"I can't believe that in today's day and age, something could be this poorly investigated for a homicide," she said. "So you've got a murder in a tourist town, right? But nobody cares."
About a month after Bilello's death, Sheriff Bryson Meyers appealed to the public for information, stating that all resources were being utilised. However, Elena remains unconvinced. "Somebody in that town does know something," she insisted. "They need to speak up."
A Glimmer of Hope and Personal Theories
One development offers the family a measure of hope: Maryland State Police were called in to review the case late last year. While the outcome of that review hasn't been made public, Elena hopes state authorities will take over the investigation entirely.
"We need departments that have the resources to take on cases like this one," she explained. "They [Maryland State Police] have the resources we need to solve my brother's case. Our biggest hope right now is that they can step in and take over."
Regarding possible motives, Elena doesn't believe her brother was targeted. "Honestly, I think it could have been accidental," she suggested, while still maintaining that someone must be held accountable for the homicide.
Remembering Slanz: A Life Cut Short
Bilello and his sister grew up in Eastern Maryland but spent family vacations in Deep Creek, where their father owned property. A former Boy Scout who loved the outdoors, Bilello built fires, shelters, and traps as a child, and even created a reptile room in the family home where he cared for lizards, snakes, and injured animals.
After graduating from Andover High School in 1988, he married his high school sweetheart Julia, and the couple raised their children in Ferndale, Maryland. He was known as a handyman who "did all the things" and never stopped helping people. In 2013, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by building a home on the same Deep Creek land where his family had vacationed.
"The family was just so happy," Elena remembered. "It was my father's dream come true."
Living With Loss and Seeking Justice
Bilello's heartbroken wife has since sold the dream home he built, unable to bear the constant reminders of their loss. Their adult children continue to reach milestones he'll never witness, including their son's recent marriage.
"I was just weeping because he wasn't there," Elena said of her nephew's wedding last October. "He won't get to walk his daughter down the aisle."
The family continues their search for answers through various means. Bilello's daughter, Isabella Bilello-Sherwood, posts regularly about the case on social media and maintains a dedicated website. In a blog post last January, Bilello's widow Julia wrote: "So many people loved this man. Always smiling, positive and uplifting and jovial. The world needs more of Slanz and a lot less guns in the hands of careless morons who still remain anonymous."
For Elena, keeping her brother's story alive has become a mission that challenges the perception that gun violence is exclusively an urban problem. "You can literally be driving down the road and your entire life can change," she reflected. "This isn't just a city problem. This can happen anywhere."
As the investigation continues with more questions than answers, Elena has a direct message for whoever is responsible: "Even if you didn't mean to do it, can you really live with this?"
