KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Byron Barker was a popular hair stylist in Knoxville. In fact, in 2003, he appeared on a WBIR segment showing off a new haircut he said he learned in Hollywood.
"Byron was an energetic guy," said Frank Gambuzza, co-owner of The Visage Group, at the time. "He definitely had a zest for the latest and greatest."
But that zest for life was snuffed out unexpectedly, sparking a years-long mystery.
Barker was reported missing from Knoxville in May 2005. His car was later found in a hotel parking lot in Williamsburg, Kentucky. There was no sign of Barker, but there was perhaps a more ominous sign — blood in his trunk.
"It was enough, the totality of the circumstances, led us to believe that the worst had already been done," said Ryan Morrow, a Knoxville Police Captain who now leads the division investigating this case.
Barker's disappearance remained a mystery for more than three years until his remains were discovered off Midway Road in November 2008.
Morrow won't reveal how Barker died, but the medical examiner did determine it was a homicide.
"(The) majority of the homicides we work, we have a crime scene," Morrow said. "We have witnesses, we have physical evidence. We have none of that in this case, other than his remains. We don't know where it happened, when it happened."
Who did it also was a mystery, even if one suspect did rise to the top of the list. Morrow said that after Barker disappeared, but before he was reported missing, Barker's roommate began to sell off his belongings. He was later convicted of theft. But he was never charged with the murder.
"We did look at the roommate," Morrow said. "And we're gonna continue to look at him until we find evidence to the contrary. But yeah, that was very suspicious that the man you're living with has been gone for three weeks, and you haven't reported him missing."
But the roommate was not the only suspect. Investigators have said Barker spent a lot of time in online chat rooms. He was messaging with men for meetups. And they say he also had been involved with drugs, potentially meeting up with dealers as well.
"We can't rule anybody out," Morrow said.
So investigators have no motive, no exact time of death and no location for the killing. But they do have a determination to find the killer. And Morrow said they might not be looking for just one suspect.
"I think there's more than one person that knows what happened out there," Morrow said.
He added that the hope is that someone will either have a guilty conscience or roll over on the other person, or people, involved.
"If we have evidence, or the ability to send evidence off or to get a conviction, or at least get a closure, we're gonna do all we can, all in our power to get that done," Morrow said.
Anyone with information on the case can reach out to the East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers group at 865-215-7165, or online.