DETROIT – A body found stuffed in a barrel near a vacant Detroit home on July 7 has been identified as missing U.S. Marine Douglas Calhoun and a person of interest was taken into custody.
Calhoun had been missing since the morning of June 1, 2017.
Officials are working on a cause of death.
Police said a person of interest was taken into custody on an unrelated charge.
Calhoun, who is a U.S. Marine, returned to his home about 3:30 a.m. in the 3500 block of West Outer Drive in Detroit after a night out with his friends. He let them know by phone that he had made it home safely.
However, that was the last time anyone heard from 39-year-old Calhoun. His vehicle later was found near Fenkell Avenue and Evergreen Road on Detroit's west side.
Calhoun a no-show at 2 jobs
Calhoun also failed to show up for either of his two jobs after he went missing. "Chef Doug" is how friends and customers know the personal chef and caterer. He didn't show up for a job June 2 and didn't make a flight to a big event in St. Louis that weekend.
"What I'm feeling, I can't describe it," said Eric Phillips, Calhoun's brother-in-law.
Calhoun is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 230 pounds. Eric Phillips said if there was trouble Calhoun would have been able to handle himself. He said it's the unknowns of the situation that makes it hard for Calhoun's family to cope with his disappearance.
$6,000 reward offered
Crime Stoppers was offering a $6,000 reward to anyone with information that helped locate Calhoun.
"Regardless of the money, if you know something somebody should say something and bring this man home to his family," Calhoun's sister, Dayna Phillips, said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP or Detroit police at 313-596-1240 or 313-596-1616.
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