John Charles Austin Garrett had been back at the Hotel Monteleone's Carousel Bar & Lounge just three weeks after a pandemic-related hiatus, but in that time, he'd done a lot to distinguish himself as a a standout rehire, according to human resources manager Carroll Rodrigue.

Confident, outgoing and level-headed, Garrett, 23, impressed his supervisors with his mixing skills at the famous revolving bar.

That's why they were perplexed when he didn't show up to work for two days in a row. A call to Garrett's family yielded no information.

"We were very concerned, because in our industry, that's what we call a no-call, no-show. That's not something he does," Rodrigue said.

Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans offers a $2,500 reward for tips leading to the arrest and indictment of John Charles Austin Garrett's killer. Photo via Crimestoppers

On Oct. 17, five days after he went missing, Garrett's family said his 3-year-old niece Infinity Brown delivered a message.

"My daughter said, 'They killed JJ. His head hurts bad,'" said LaDawn Garrett, who felt sure the message was from her brother. "My mom said, 'We need to go to the morgue.'"

There, family members found Garrett dead from a single gunshot wound to the head. New Orleans police said they found Garrett's body on Oct. 13 in the 5800 block of Plaza Drive, a deserted tract of West Lake Forest. Police have no leads as to a suspect or motive and petitioned the public for tips at recent press conference.

"We do believe someone knows about this crime, and we're urging the public to come forward to help us solve this crime," homicide sergeant Robert Barrere said at the briefing.

Clockwise from top: Siblings Lawrence Garrett, Alexis Bush, Shaun Bell, John Garrett and LaDawn Garrett smile for the camera. Photo via family

A 2017 graduate of Eleanor McMain Secondary School, Garrett was the middle child among six siblings, LaDawn Garrett said. He played tenor saxophone and loved taking to the streets during Carnival to march with Bacchus—so much so that he convinced his sister to join the band, too.

"We always did everything together," she said. "If I did soccer, he did track. He was everyone's favorite. ... This is beyond hard."

The investigation remains active and open, police said. Anyone with information about the killing should contact Homicide Detective Barrett Morton at 504-658-5300. Those wishing to submit tips anonymously can call Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111.