Upper Peninsula police officials on Thursday, May 21, said they recovered the remains of an individual who was reported missing last fall, following a large-scale search on state land off M-123 north of Paradise in Chippewa County.
“Monday resulted in the finding of some crucial evidence which was located deep into the wooded area. The ground search continued early Tuesday morning. Tuesday resulted in the discovery of human remains which were also located deep into the wooded area,” the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Michael D. Bitnar and Sault Ste. Marie Police Department Chief Wes Bierling said in a joint press release.
After the remains were located, the Michigan State Police Crime Lab and Northern Michigan University (NMU) Frost Anthropology unit were called to the scene to assist, officials said in the release.
“We are waiting for forensic confirmation on the identity of the victim,” police said.
The Sault Ste. Marie Police Department took a missing person complaint last fall, the release said, and information provided led SSM and the sheriff’s office personnel to “a remote location north of Paradise,” the release said. Police located the individual’s vehicle stuck and out of view off a two-track road.
Police said they determined the person had been missing for approximately a month.
“CCSO and SPD immediately started a ground search of the area and flew a CCSO drone. Unfortunately, there was already a layer of snow in the area and within a short time winter hit and the location was no longer accessible,” the release said.
Over the winter, the release said, agencies planned for a spring search of the area,
“The location we were planning to search included an area of approximately 1000 acres,” the release said. “This search area was located on state land and surrounded by several thousand more acres of state land which included ridges, swamp lands and ponds.
“We started the search by using the MSP aviation unit last week as they flew a helicopter and a drone to search the area from above. Over this past weekend MISAR brought in 4 k-9 (HRD) Cadaver teams, to search the area prior to the ground search,” the release said.
On May 18, a large-scale ground search started, involving about 35 law enforcement and search and rescue members.
“A command center was established, and a briefing was conducted early Monday morning. The ground search started shortly after. MISAR and MSP K-9 units assisted both Monday and Tuesday,” the release said.
The following agencies assisted in the week-long search:
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: U.P. police find remains of person missing since fall. What we know
Reporting by Dan Basso, Jalen Williams and Connor Veenstra, USA TODAY NETWORK / Lansing State Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
