Four People Were Bound, Gagged, Killed, and Set on Fire Inside a Rochester Home
Rochester, New York — January 10, 2016
It began with smoke drifting from a house on a cold January morning.
When Mary Royal returned to her home on Leighton Avenue in Rochester, New York, something immediately felt wrong.
The front door stood open.
Smoke lingered in the air.
She called 911.
What firefighters and investigators discovered inside the three-story home would become one of Rochester’s most disturbing unsolved mass homicides.
Four Victims Are Found in the Attic
Inside the attic, authorities found four people dead.
Michael Royal Jr. was 28.
Jennifer Leasure was 29.
Lachelle Powell was 22.
Michael Adams was 45.
Investigators later revealed that the victims had been bound and gagged before being killed inside the home.
Then, according to authorities, their bodies were deliberately set on fire in what appeared to be an attempt to destroy evidence and conceal the crime.
The fire was not accidental.
It was intentionally set.
Despite the flames, investigators were still able to uncover the horrifying scene left behind.
Even the family dog, Jax, was killed.
A Family Left With the Aftermath
For Mary Royal, unknowingly walking into the aftermath of the killings inside her own home became a trauma that never disappeared.
Family members have said the events of that day continued to haunt those connected to the victims.
Four people had been killed inside a single house.
Their bodies had been burned.
And whoever was responsible disappeared without being held accountable.
More Than a Decade Without Answers
More than 10 years later, no arrests have been made.
No suspects have been publicly identified.
The murders of Michael Royal Jr., Jennifer Leasure, Lachelle Powell, and Michael Adams remain unsolved.
Four lives were taken inside that Leighton Avenue home.
Four families were left carrying the loss.
And an entire community is still waiting to learn who committed the killings and why.
Anyone with information regarding the January 10, 2016 homicides on Leighton Avenue is asked to contact Rochester Crime Stoppers at 585-423-9300.
© The Vivid Faces of the Vanished