Plymouth cold case murder still a mystery after 18 years

PLYMOUTH TWP - A murder mystery in Plymouth began in 1997 when police found human remains wrapped in a carpet. Two decades later the cold case continues but investigators are not giving up.

Human bones, an old T-shirt and socks - they are what Plymouth Township police hope will help identify a man found near railroad tracks on Haggerty Road near Schoolcraft.

"We've had people send missing us missing people," said Lt. Robert Antel. "We still have not found a match."

Plymouth Township police have teamed up with Crime Stoppers of Michigan to try and get tips on the 18-year-old case. A reward of $2,500 is being offered.

The bones were discovered back on May 10 of 1997.

"There was a gentleman looking to purchase a piece of property," Antel said. "While he was out during a survey he saw a mouse running through a roll of carpet."

Kicking the carpet, police say it unrolled revealing femurs, arm and skull pieces.  The man was believed to be between 5-feet 6 and 5-feet 9 inches tall and was wearing blue shorts and white tube socks with the 1980 Olympics logo "USA 80."

Police say the carpet he was wrapped in was manufactured in the 1970s.

"At this point he'd be between 50 and 70 years old," Antel said. "At the time the bones were discovered they estimated him to be about 35 to 45 years old."

Police ruled the man's death a homicide.

"We did locate a small .357 or .38 caliber round wrapped up in the carpet with him," Antel said.

Police say he died of blunt force trauma and sent the bones to Texas for DNA to be taken. The medical examiner noticed signs that the man may have had a joint disease and may have been in the Military.

They cited a fracture of the man's upper right arm, where a stabilization pin was put in.

"It's a pin that would be used to surgically repair a broken bone in a field hospital setting," Antel said.

While police say they know it isn't much to go on and know the case is cold.

"We still have an unsolved murder that we would like to get closure for some family member."