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Family members of missing Michigan man go to Electric Forest Festival to search for answers

Reward offered for information

The family of a Highland Township man missing for more than a year has been focused on finding him and keeping the case alive.

The father of Kevin Graves is determined to never give up the search for his son.

"As long as there's a breath in my body, I won't quit," Kevin Graves' father Gary Graves said.

In his search for answers, Gary Graves returned to the place his son was last seen, the Electric Forest Music Festival in Rothbury.

Over the past year there have been more than 60 searches, and there is still no answer about what happened to Kevin Graves. His family members have begun their own detective work, and went to the music festival this year hoping to find someone who remembered something. Gary Graves said they have found a few leads.

Kevin Graves' sister stopped vehicles outside the festival and handed out fliers.

"A lot of these people come to this every single year, they come far for this Electric Forest (festival) and most of the people I've talked to -- they know this case," she said.

Gary Graves said festival organizers helped his family get tickets to the festival and spread the word about Kevin Graves.

Kevin Graves and his girlfriend arrived in Rothbury to attend the festival on June 27, 2018. Four days later Kevin's parents got a call from Kevin's girlfriend.

They said she told them she couldn't find Kevin and that they had gotten into some kind of argument.

Gary Graves said this year they spoke with a couple who allegedly witnessed the fight. He said they told him they were a couple of campsites down from him.

They said they remember the evening when the argument happened and that it was between Kevin's girlfriend and two other girls. The alleged witness said the girls were picking on Kevin and he was crying.

Gary Graves connected the couple with the search and rescue team that is working to help find Kevin Graves.

"I feel a little bit better from what we was able to find out. We bumped into some people up there that was able to give us some leads," Gary Graves said.

The Shiawassee Search and Rescue agency has conducted more than 60 searches. That includes seven lakes, three rivers, 14 miles of M-31 and 3,000 acres of woodland. The agency has vowed to not give up the search.

"My search and rescue guy has a good team of men, they're all volunteers. None of them get paid for what they're doing, they just do it out of the goodness of their heart and they're all rangers," Gary Graves said.

No matter what happened to Kevin Graves, his family just wants him home.

"I just want them to know he's a good kid. I mean, every kid makes mistakes, every kid does things," Gary Graves said. "I just want them to know that I would take him back here in a heartbeat if he said, 'Come and pick me up, I'm out here in California, I'm down in Florida, I'm in Texas.' Wherever he's at."

There is a $5,000 reward for information that helps solve the case. Anyone with information can contact the Michigan State Police Department's Hart Post at (231) 873-2171. The case is Case No. 18-0124834.

RELATEDMichigan man went to music festival a year ago, not seen since


About the Authors
Meaghan St Pierre headshot
Karen Drew headshot

Karen Drew is the anchor of Local 4 News First at 4, weekdays at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. She is also an award-winning investigative reporter.

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