Michigan hunter finds body believed to be missing Genesee County woman
GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A body believed to be a missing Genesee County woman was found Wednesday.
According to Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, a hunter was training his birding dog in the area of Ryan and Shannon roads in St. Charles when the dog came across a body around 1:20 p.m. Swanson said it appears that the body is 60-year-old Kelly McWhirter.
McWhirter and her ex-husband Steven Higgins were reported missing more than a month ago. Authorities believed foul play was involved after finding a bloody scene at the couple's Flushing home. Shortly after the pair was reported missing, Higgins shot and killed himself during a traffic stop, while McWhirter was still missing.
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During a traffic stop amid a missing person investigation, a 57-year-old man shot himself early Wednesday. His wife, a 60-year-old longtime employee of the sheriff's office, has still not been located.
Swanson said the body found this week had significant trauma and was badly decomposed. The clothing on the body matched what McWhirter was last seen wearing.
DNA and dental records will confirm that the body is McWhirter's, though that could take weeks.
"We are working hard to confirm that identity," Swanson said.