Grisly development in missing couple search in Genesee County after violent confrontation
GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - Following a violent confrontation early Wednesday morning, local police and county sheriffs officers out of Genesee County are shifting their missing person investigation after the suspect shot himself during a traffic stop.
According to Sheriff Chris Swanson, the search for Kelly McWhirter, 60, and Steven Higgins, 57, took a turn after police located the couple's pickup truck and attempted to pull it over. The driver, Higgins, wouldn't cooperate with police before shooting himself in the head.
He was rushed to the hospital, but wasn't expected to survive, Swanson said.
Law enforcement are now searching for McWhirter. A longtime employee of the sheriff's office, she worked as a secretary for years.
"When she didn't show up for work on Monday, it was completely out of character," Swanson said during a virtual press conference Wednesday.
A 2009 Ford F-150 wasn't at the home where signs of a struggle were observed. It was later found during a traffic stop with Higgins behind the wheel.
Police suspect something happened between McWhirter and Higgins over the weekend. A confrontation took place at a home in the city of Flushing, that resulted in "some type of injury" that led to a significant loss of blood, Swanson said.
When investigators went to clean up the scene, they found the couple's 2022 Hyundai Tuscon. Inside the vehicle was evidence of a struggle. The couple's pickup truck, a 2009 Ford F-150 was missing.
After tracking phone data, police pinged a house in Ohio, later learning that Higgins had visited the property over the weekend. Police believe Higgins traveled in the Hyundai to the Ohio property and back to Flushing.
A 2022 Hyundai Tucson was found at the couple's home, where evidence of a struggle was observed.
It wasn't until a member of the public recognized the pickup truck and called police that law enforcement made progress. The traffic stop was conducted in the city of Montrose. Higgins was identified as the driver.
The search is now underway to locate McWhirter. Swanson is asking if anyone saw either of the two vehicles over the weekend or early this week traveling on I-75 or US-23 to contact police.
"What I need from this community is to identify if they saw those vehicles on the side of the road at any point from Flushing and Montrose down to Ohio, from Saturday of this last weekend until anytime I would say Tuesday," he said.