Baltimore is in a state of alarm on Wednesday as police continue their manhunt for an “extremely dangerous” ex-convict suspected of murdering the celebrated tech entrepreneur, Pava LaPere, 26, whose body was found in her in-town apartment building Monday with signs of blunt force trauma to the head.

The suspect is 32-year-old Jason Billingsley, who has an extensive rap sheet and was released early from prison in October 2022 after serving only nine years of a 30-year sentence for a first-degree forcible sex offense. He also pled guilty in 2009 to first-degree assault and to second-degree assault in 2011.

Baltimore’s mayor, Brandon Scott, said at a press conference Tuesday that Billingsley is “extremely dangerous” and “shouldn’t have been out on the streets in the first place.”

The body of LaPere, who was known as an optimistic booster of her troubled city, was reportedly found beaten and partially clothed on the roof of her upscale apartment building at the historic Mount Vernon neighborhood, according to the Baltimore Banner, citing a source close to the investigation. A missing persons report had been filed for LaPere Monday morning, before her body was discovered.

The city’s acting police commissioner, Richard Worley, said Billingsley is likely still at Baltimore and should be considered armed and dangerous. He didn’t mince words on the threat: “This individual will kill and he will rape,” Commissioner Worley said. “He will do anything he can to cause harm. Please be aware of your surroundings.”

LaPere was a rising star in the tech world and was recently named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list in the category of social impact. She founded the artificial intelligence business platform, EcoMap, while a senior at Baltimore’s prestigious Johns Hopkins University. The company of about 30 employees announced it had raised $3.5 million in seed money in June, bringing the total to $8 million.

The murder has rocked Baltimore despite the fact that the city consistently ranks in the top five of American cities for murders per capita. LaPere’s elegant apartment building is in the Mount Vernon neighborhood, which is considered by residents to be one of the most desirable places to live in downtown Baltimore. The police said there is no known connection between the suspect and victim at this time.

After graduating from college, Ms. La Pere didn’t make the expected move to Silicon Valley or Austin with her tech company but was instead adamant about making a social impact at Baltimore.

“We are particularly proud of the number of investors from our hometown of Baltimore,” LaPere said in June. “We are passionately committed to making an impact on the city, and we are proud to be part of its growing tech ecosystem.”

Crime is becoming an increasingly important issue for voters nationally, according to Pew. The homicide rate increased nearly 30 percent between 2019 and 2020, the largest spike in modern history, according to FBI and CDC data. While data shows a decline in murders nationally this past year, the homicide rate is still 10 percent higher than it was pre-pandemic.

Baltimore has already seen 207 murders in 2023, according to statistics compiled by the Baltimore Sun. The city averages about 340 murders per year. That’s only 100 fewer than New York City, which has a population nearly 15 times larger than Baltimore.

Baltimore’s murder clearance is also far below the national average. Only 36.3 percent of murders were solved in 2022, which is actually an improvement from a low of 29.7 percent in 2015. The high-profile 2016 murder of space economist, Molly Macauley, who was stabbed to death while walking her dogs, remains unsolved.

Baltimore’s police department has also been plagued by staff shortages that are making it difficult for the department to comply with a 2017 federal consent decree implemented following the death of Freddie Gray. Reports of low morale in the department followed the prosecution by then-district attorney Marilyn Mosby of officers in Mr. Gray’s 2015 death, though the officers were acquitted.

The Baltimore Police Department is warning the public to stay vigilant until Billingsley, a convicted sex offender, is apprehended. They say they are reviewing all cases since Billingsley was released from prison in October 2022 to see if there are any connections.

The police announced Wednesday afternoon a $6,000 reward for information leading to Billingsley’s arrest, and also said Billigsley “is wanted in connection to an attempted murder, arson and rape that occurred on Sept. 19.”

A vigil for LaPere is planned for Wednesday at Baltimore, and tributes to her are pouring out.

“She was a phenomenally accomplished CEO and innovator, and an inspiration and a friend to so many,” the director of the Simon Center on Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Loyola University Maryland, Wendy Bolger, said. “She always led with values first, and was deeply committed to Baltimore, and the promises of technology and entrepreneurship for all.”

“Pava was a very young, devoted, talented Baltimorian, someone that I had the opportunity to get to know over the past few years, who would help anybody that she would see,” Mayor Brandon Scott said.

“Pava has been an inspiration to so many people,” LaPere’s father, Frank LaPere, wrote on Facebook. “Pava made an impact in every endeavor she undertook and on every life she touched. She will be forever missed as a daughter, sister, grand-daughter, niece, cousin and loyal friend.”