Kayaker discovers decomposed body on Rouge River in Wayne
WAYNE, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – A gruesome discovery was made in Wayne, where authorities are working to learn more information about a decomposed body that was discovered on the Rouge River.
Police say a kayaker paddling down the river came across the human remains tangled along the embankment on Wednesday evening.
That person immediately called 911, leading authorities to investigate and neighbors in the area wondering what happened.
"Yeah, definitely a shock. I mean, that's wild," said Rodney Severance.
"Little scary," added Terry Markey.
Homeowners near the area of John R Street and Pershing Street in Wayne are startled and on edge after hearing a body was spotted on the Rouge River in their usually quiet neighborhood.
"Never in 100 years did you think you would hear something like that. That's really kind of shocking and close to home. Real close," said Lolita Ingram.
Law enforcement from the city of Wayne and Michigan State Police were on scene investigating throughout the morning on Thursday.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner later showed up to remove what police say was the bottom half of the remains found in the water behind a home. Those remains were placed on a gurney to be examined.
The upper torso of the body was located by officials in another portion of the river on Wednesday.
It's a grisly discovery, leaving more questions than answers for those living nearby.
"I was wondering if maybe it was somebody I had seen before," said Severance.
"I'm hoping it wasn't one of these neighborhood kids that play down there all the time," Markey stated.
"It's disconcerting because it's right here, but I mean, I trust the police to do their job," Rick Turk added.
Authorities have released very limited information on the incident but told CBS News Detroit that the body was in no condition to identify it on scene.
This is an ongoing investigation. Stay with CBS News Detroit for the latest developments.