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Macomb Township cold case dig: Search continues for bodies of girls missing for decades

Authorities seek clues in at least 3 cold cases, maybe more

MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Digging will resume Tuesday in Macomb Township as authorities search for clues in several cold cases dating back to the 1970s. 

Crews are set to return to work about 7 a.m. for a second day of digging on a property near 23 Mile Road and North Avenue. The area is wooded and situated along the North Branch Clinton River. 

Cindy Zarzycki

The search is in the same area where the remains of Cindy Zarzycki were found after her killer led investigators to the spot. Arthur Ream killed Zarzycki when she was just 13 years old in 1986. 

Ream revealed the spot where he buried Zarzycki during interviews in 2008. He was already in prison for raping a 15-year-old girl when investigators got him to describe how and where he buried the girl two decades before. 

Arthur Nelson Ream in 2017 (Michigan Department of Corrections)

Now authorities are working in that same area in connection to three other cold cases that may be connected to Ream:

  • The case of 12-year-old Kimberly King, from Warren, who disappeared in 1979
  • The disappearance of Kellie Brownlee, from Novi, when she was 17 in 1982
  • The case of Kim Larrow, who disappeared from Canton Township in 1981, when she was 15

Their remains could be buried along this wooded riverbank in Macomb Township. 

Kimberly King, Kellie Brownlee and Kim Larrow

Police sources told Local 4 they are positive Ream is responsible for other crimes, but they aren't certain he's responsible for King's disappearance.

On Monday, after gaining a search warrant, a team from the Warren Police Department, the Macomb County Sheriff's Office and the FBI returned to the site with the equipment necessary to do a major dig. They planned to be back at work Tuesday morning. 


About the Authors
Nick Monacelli headshot

Nick joined the Local 4 team in February of 2015. Prior to that he spent 6 years in Sacramento covering a long list of big stories including wildfires and earthquakes. Raised in Sterling Heights, he is no stranger to the deep history and pride Detroit has to offer.

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