Brynn Bills: Body of missing woman, 18, believed to have been found in ‘fresh’ grave in Michigan, police say
‘Somebody’s got some answering to do on the subject,’ father says after daughter’s body found
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The remains of the missing 18-year-old woman Brynn Bills are believed to have been found in a shallow grave with “fresh dirt” outside a home in Michigan, police have said.
Ms Bills, who went missing last month, was connected to the body that was found through tattoo markers after it was discovered in Alpena Township on Tuesday, according to Michigan State Police.
An autopsy will attempt to establish the cause of death, police said the results will be shared with the public but may take months to arrive.
Ms Bills was last seen on 1 August in Alpena. Investigators said that an anonymous tip prompted them to look for Ms Bills at a home on Naylor Road, where they found the body.
“The tip led us to an area where we had seen that there was some fresh dirt and something that looked like it had been dug up recently,” First Lieutenant John Grimshaw said at a press briefing, according to Fox News. “So it was easy to locate, there were several spots on the property like that, so we narrowed our search to those and that’s where we found the body.”
“It took us a long time to find the remains and to get her out of there,” he added.
Police said the home where the body was found belongs to Joshua Wirgau, 34, who’s a person of interest in the death of Ms Bills. Mr Wirgau was not at the home when police searched the property.
Following an unrelated incident that took place earlier this week, Mr Wirgau was already in custody on charges of unlawful imprisonment and assault with a dangerous weapon.
“He is a person of interest, obviously. He is the homeowner where there was a deceased body found on it, so he is a person of interest,” Lt Grimshaw said. “He has an attorney.”
Police added that there are other persons of interest in the investigation.
Lt Grimshaw said that the family of Ms Bills is coping “as well as can be expected”.
Ms Bills would have turned 18 on 12 August, but her father, Duane Bills, told The Alpena News on Wednesday that he doesn’t think she reached her birthday.
“They found her, so, obviously, somebody’s got some answering to do on the subject,” Mr Bills said.
Court records indicate that Mr Wirgau has been charged multiple times previously, including for sexual assault and drugs violations.