On the morning of August 28, 2008, Kanika Powell, a 28-year-old laboratory employee with top-secret security clearance, left her apartment in Laurel, Maryland, to run errands. She had spent the past five days on edge after three different men—one posing as an FBI agent and two claiming to be delivery drivers—knocked on her door, each asking for her by name.

She refused to let any of them in.

Just before noon on the 28th, Kanika returned home. Moments later, she was ambushed outside her apartment and shot multiple times.

Despite years of investigation, her killer has never been identified, leaving many unanswered questions. Was Kanika targeted because of her top-secret security clearance? Or was there something even more sinister at play?

28-year-old veteran Kanika Powell received three mysterious knocks at her door, starting on August 23, 2008. The first man claimed to be an FBI agent. The other two—one on the evening of August 27 and another on the morning of August 28—said they were there to deliver packages. Each man knew Kanika’s name, but she refused to let any of them in.

After the final knock, Kanika left home to run errands. She returned around 11:50 a.m. and was gunned down in the hallway of her apartment at the Deerfield Run Apartments in Laurel, Maryland. The killer and murder weapon have never been found.

Anyone with information is asked to call Prince George’s County Police Department at 301-352-1200 or Prince George’s County Crime Solvers Hotline at 1-866-411-8477.

Editor: Shannon Keirce
Research/Writing: Polly Kotowski

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76: MURDER: Kanika Powell