Detroit man charged with mutilating body of missing Livingston County woman

DETROIT - A Detroit man has been charged with mutilation of a dead body in connection with the discovery of a Livingston County woman, who had been missing since November. 

Dowan Knighton, 47, of Detroit

Dowan Knighton, 47, was arrested shortly after Kayla Pierce's remains were discovered at the rear end of a location in Detroit last week around 8 p.m.

Knighton was also charged with concealing the death of an individual and tampering with evidence and was arraigned on a $50,000 bond. 

Pierce was first reported missing by her mother on Nov. 24 when she was last seen at a gas station in Howell, near her home. Michigan State Police and the Livingston County Sheriff's office assisted the Detroit police with the investigation.

RELATED: Missing Livingston Co. woman hasn't been seen or heard from since November

Pierce, who was 29 when she went missing, had told her mother she was planning on returning home shortly after leaving on Nov. 23. 

A few days later, her car turned up on Detroit's west side near McNichols and Outer Drive. Her mom called the situation "heartwrenching."

Kayla Pierce went missing Nov. 23 while she was driving to Detroit

Mutilating a body carries a maximum prison sentence of up to 10 years. 

He had a probable cause conference scheduled for Feb. 25 in the 36th District Court.