CELINA — The Mercer County Sheriff’s Office has been unable to identify the man whose bones were found last year near Grand Lake, but they are certain he was the victim of a homicide because someone cut the skull off his body.
Sheriff Jeff Grey reported Wednesday the man’s body was “clearly dismembered,” with the head cut off at the spinal column. Apparent saw marks indicated the dismembering, but the Sheriff’s Office has not found his skull.
Cut marks also indicated that lower portions of the man’s extremities were sawed off, though police do not have bones from below the knees and elbows. The Sheriff’sOffice does have access to much of the femur (upper leg) and humerus (upper arm) bones, as well as bones from the torso and rib area.
To help find the man’s identity, the Sheriff’s Office reached out to a group known as IsoForensics. The organization performed geolocation services that predicted the man may have spent the last 10 years before his death in various portions of the United States.
The predictions already provided by IsoForensics indicated the man may have also spent time in portions of Michigan. Because the body was found near U.S. Route 127, which runs through Michigan, the Sheriff’s Office contacted multiple counties in the area to check on missing persons.
The Sheriff’s Office was directed to the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center, but the agency was unable to provide any new information. The office previously requested missing persons information from a 250-mile radius around Mercer County. There were six missing persons who fit the profile, but they have all been ruled out.
A total of 32 tips regarding the man’s identity have been provided to the Sheriff’s Office, with 12 that are still considered open. However, Grey continues to ask for the public’s help in identifying the man.
“If you have a missing loved one, be sure the law enforcement agency has collected DNA and had it is loaded into the NamUS [National Missing and Unidentified Persons] System,” Grey said. “If they haven’t, encourage them to do so. This may help us or another agency identify the victim.”
Anyone with information on this case may send an anonymous email through the office’s website at mercercountysheriff.org. Individuals may also leave a message on the tip line at 567-890-8477 or call detectives at 419-586-1450.
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