Identified! MI - Buena Vista Twp., Skeletal in 1970s Car in Pond near I-75, Aug'17 Julius Colwye

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Body found in car, submerged in pond near I-75

Police were called to the property after environmental contractors for M-DOT found the car.

The contractors were there to remove 50 gallon drums submerged in the water.
The body was discovered after the car was removed from the water.

D/Sgt. Greg Klecker was notified of the discovery shortly after 12:15 p.m. Tuesday.

"We've got the MSP Crime Lab out here and it's going to be a long day and we'll determine more later, but now it's just suspicious," Klecker said.


Police have not said if it is a man or woman's body in the car, nor have they estimated how long the body has been there.
They also don't know how the person died.
Police confirmed it appears to be a 1970's model car.
The Michigan State Police Crime Lab out of Bridgeport Township has been called in to investigate.
We'll update you as police release new information.
http://www.abc12.com/content/news/Body-found-in-car-submerged-in-pond-near-I-75-440581633.html
 
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BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP, MI (WNEM) - Police are investigating after a body was found in a vehicle Tuesday afternoon.

The body was found shortly after noon on a piece of property owned by the Michigan Department of Transportation in Buena Vista Township, according to Buena Vista Township Det. Greg Klecker.
The property is located next to a salvage yard on Hack Road.
Buena Vista Township police found skeletal remains inside the vehicle, MSP Lt. Dave Kaiser said.
"This is the second time I've found a car with a body in it and usually if there's somebody in it and the doors aren't open, nobody tried to get it out. So seeing all the doors closed and all the windows sealed made it real suspicious of what might be inside," said Michael Mrozinski, lead diver.

Police said the body was badly decomposed and it appears the car was in the pond for quite some time.

"It's hard to tell, but it's been there for a long time, any number of years," Klecker said.
http://www.wnem.com/story/36141279/breaking-police-investigate-after-body-found-in-vehicle
 
Comments on the MLive article about this discorvery indicate this is a 1973 or 1974 Buick Electra:
"Buick used that basic body shell from 1971 through 1976, and the hood "portholes" are a Buick styling tradition.

Energy absorbing bumpers began in 1973, so that eliminates that particular car from being a '71 or a '72.

The last year for round headlights was 1974, which eliminates it being a '75 or a '76.

And, considering how sales of big cars slumped in 1974 the car is most likely a '73 Electra 225."

I have to agree, it's at least very similar looking. Here's a side view of a 1973 Electra I found, similar to the one released by LE:
Screen-shot-2014-12-09-at-1.55.24-PM.png

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2017/08/epa_finds_body_in_car_in_botto.html
 
Police did say that the car had an older license plate and, judging from the car’s condition, it had been underwater for years. The reason police wouldn’t get more specific is that they didn’t want to give people with missing family members a false sense of hope. The car, which police said is a '70s-model Buick Sedan, appears to be a 1973 Buick Electra 225.

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2017/08/what_we_know_so_far_about_huma.html

Here's a picture of a 1973 Buick Electra 225:

r2.jpg

https://notoriousluxury.com/2014/05/17/fresh-metal-1973-buick-electra-225/
 
Recovered car side by side (or rather up and down :D) with a 1973 Electra from an advertisement. Click to enlarge if necessary.

1973 buick electra.jpg
 
I'd submit him.

It's a straight shot up I-75 for 12 hours from where he went missing to Buena Vista, MI.

If you (or anyone else here) knows how, go for it! This case is not in Namus yet so not sure who to contact. That said, I'm sure the detectives will be able to trace the car by its license plate and/or vin number.
 
You can call them at (989) 753-7793.

Tell them to compare their UID with Namus MP 14431
 
You can call them at (989) 753-7793.

Tell them to compare their UID with Namus MP 14431

Thanks. I'm not able to call, so if anyone else would like to, please do.
 
The mother of Eric Franks was notified by LE that they have linked the car to a missing man (Not Eric Franks).

The remains haven't been ID'd yet, but they think they know who he is, and they have contacted his family.
 
I'll relate this personal story again for the sake of making a point relative to these types of cases.

My cousin Lenny would be a MP to this day had a woman not been letting her dogs out late at night when he inadvertently drove down a boat ramp he had mistaken for a two-lane road. She heard the splash of his car and called the police. His car drifted far out into the reservoir and while he got out of the car, he drowned. Because he was lost at the time- we would NEVER have known where to even look for him (he was on his way home from an out of state conference and got turned around at a middle-of-nowhere gas station trying to get back to the interstate.)

I am CONVINCED that there are possibly hundreds of MPs and their vehicles in bodies of water around this country.
 
Wow, what a shock for the missing man's family to receive this call.

It is quite unusual that LE was able to identify this person so quickly. Much better than more years passing by as they try to identify the body.
 

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