Police: Mom Finds Daughter's Body Stuffed In Closet; Suspect Cuts Off GPS Tether
PONTIAC (WWJ) - Authorities in Pontiac are investigating a homicide after a 30-year-old woman was found dead inside a closet.
The situation unfolded around 9:50 p.m. Friday when Oakland County Sheriff's deputies responded to the 100 block of Ridgemont on a report of a possible homicide. They found Marie Elizabeth Colburn's body stuffed inside a closet with obvious signs of trauma.
Colburn's mother told police she hadn't heard from her daughter since Tuesday this week, so she went to her apartment with her husband to check on her welfare. The couple checked the apartment and did not locate their daughter at that time, so they left.
About an hour later, the couple decided to go back to the apartment to see if Colburn had returned, according to police.
"After returning a second time, a more thorough search of the apartment was conducted by the mother at which point she located her daughter in a closet," police said in a statement.
Colburn's body was turned over to the Medical Examiner's Office, which ruled the cause of death as suffocation.
Police say a notice from the Michigan Department of Corrections was attached to Colburn's front door, stating that an attempt was made to contact the victim's boyfriend. MDOC officials told police that the victim's boyfriend, who is on parole for a manslaughter conviction in Wayne County, had cut off his GPS tether somewhere in Detroit.
Colburn's car was also missing from the home. Police say the vehicle was later found in Detroit.
The Sheriff's Fugitive Apprehension Team is currently looking for the suspect, 33-year-old Kevin Jermaine Wiley of Pontiac. There is a $2,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
Anyone who has information is urged to contact police at 248-858-4951 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.