Missing Detroit teen found dead in cemetery wearing ski mask, gloves

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit police are still working to find out what happened to a teen discovered dead at a cemetery on the city's west side.

Police did not share a lot of details Friday morning, but they have confirmed this is a murder investigation.

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Police found 15-year-old Lawrence Dowl at the Mount Hazel Cemetery on Lahser near 7 Mile on the city's west side on Thursday night, just hours after his worried family members spoke with FOX 2.

"The run was called in by a citizen who was in the cemetery visiting a loved one," said Detroit Police Capt. Marcus Thirkill. "The individual who contacted the Detroit Police Department indicated there was someone deceased inside the cemetery."

That cemetery was about two and a half miles from where Dowl lived. The 15-year-old was last seen around 11 p.m. on Tuesday when, according to his aunt, he was left near Pembroke and Stansbury. That's where she and others who knew him combed a nearby park for much of the day, looking for any sign of the teen.

"We were told by a friend or who was supposed to be a friend, the person who was driving the car, that they dropped him and another boy off in this area and that they took off walking," said aunt Lamisha Pullom.

What's next:

Police are working to figure out how Dowl ended up at the Mount Hazel Cemetery, while the Wayne County Medical Examiner is working to determine how he died. FOX 2 was told the teen did not have a cellphone on him at the time of his disappearance but was wearing gloves and a ski mask.

Obviously, there are a lot of questions concerning what happened to Dowl and what he may have been doing leading up to his death. His family is just devastated by the latest turn of events. In an interview on Thursday, they shared some of their memories.

"He's a good boy. He played sports, loved his family, and his sisters. He really be home. We are family-oriented," said Pullom.