DDN – Human remains were uncovered behind a garage on Detroit’s northwest side.
The remains were discovered on Monday, January 6, at 12:57 p.m. in the 19700 block of Woodingham Drive.
Detroit Police Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald stated that the homeowner had a construction crew come out and repair the home when they uncovered a shallow burial behind the garage.
“Upon their working, they discovered in a very shallow grave behind the garage what appeared to be a foot and part of a shin bone, not even a bone Shin sticking out of the ground,” according to Fitzgerald.
The body was wrapped in a burlap bag of some kind.
“Small in frame and structure, but as of right now, we don’t know, which is why we have the FBI here to help us,” Fitzgerald informed the crowd. “We’re going to do an excavation as there is not a lot of room back there, so it’s going to take some good old-fashioned muscle and shoveling and stuff.”
Fitzgerald predicted a hard night for them because of the low temperatures and the impact on the discovery.
In terms of FBI cooperation, Fitzgerald stated that they assist in the search for “missing and/or exploited children. We work with them in one of our taskforces, and our missing persons unit is out here; homicide is out here.” We’re contacting all of our partners to figure out what we have here.”
The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office is determining whether the remains are human, but Fitzgerald says it will be a bit before they have any information about the body.
Fitzgerald commented on the construction crew, saying, “It appears like they are doing some work. Some of the garage siding was coming off, and I believe they returned, as seen by the disturbed ground. And that is how you discovered the foot.”
The residence has been abandoned since the last occupant moved out in November, and officials say they will have additional information about the body by Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.
“Once the body is retrieved, then we have to find out where it came from,” he stated. “It’s going to be tough for us, but we’re going to work around the clock and hopefully get the body out as soon as we possibly can.”
Fitzgerald stated that they would appreciate assistance from the community in dealing with the matter.
“We would appreciate the community’s assistance,” Fitzgerald added. “If you know of anyone who used to reside there and is missing anything, please tell us any information you can. We would appreciate the assistance.”
Reference: Human remains discovered behind the garage on Detroit’s northwest side
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