Body of man recovered inside Canton Township sewer

CANTON TWP., Mich. (WJBK) - A death investigation is underway in Canton after a public works crew found a body in the township's sewer system.

The workers found a male corpse in a sanitation line about 10 feet below a manhole in a field in the Traditions condominiums complex. 

The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office now has the body and will determine the cause of death.

Carin and Derek Rafalski live in the Traditions complex and say they walk their dog past the area where workers found the body and never suspected a thing.

"Usually there's a lot of growth over there," Derek said. "So you know depending how far it is out you don't get a lot of the scents, if you will. We walk by there every day."

It's unclear how long the body had been in the sewer line. The Canton Police Department says it was not investigating any active missing person’s report.

They say as of now, they don't suspect any foul play in this case -- and that begs the question-how did this person end up in a manhole?

"Absolutely, I mean, people are back there, you don't know if someone just tripped and fell in," Carin said. "I mean, anything is possible."