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Who killed Joe Hill? Case remains unsolved 41 years after Detroit man slain, dismembered

Torso found days after family reported man missing

Joe Burnic Hill (NamUs)

DETROIT – Police still don’t know who killed and dismembered a Detroit man 41 years ago.

Joe Burnic Hill “Joe Banks” was 29 years old when his family reported him missing from Detroit on Sept. 1, 1981. Four days later, on Sept. 5, a torso was found on the city’s east side.

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No connection was made between Hill’s disappearance and the torso at that time. Several years later, Hill’s family had the torso exhumed and a DNA test verified that it belonged to Hill.

Hill’s gray 1979 Pontiac Firebird was found at a car wash on Gratiot Avenue by Clinton Township police on Sept. 8, 1981. The wheels, t-top cover and license plate were missing. The owner of the car wash said the vehicle had been there since Sept. 3.

Hill went to Western High School in Detroit. He is the father of five children, four daughters and one son. He studied Tae Kwon Do at the Tiger Chong Dojo, earning himself a 2nd-degree black belt.

DetailsJoe Burnic Hill
Missing Age29
NicknameJoe Banks
Height5′10′' - 5′11′'
Weight170 lbs

Anyone with information should contact Detroit police at 313-596-1800.


Read: Michigan cold case coverage


Why is ClickOnDetroit covering so many cold cases?

We’re working to bring attention to as many unsolved and missing persons cases from around the state as we can. Our hope is that getting this important information out to the public will help generate tips for investigators and potentially lead to closure for the affected families. If you have a cold case you’d like us to look into, please let us know by using the form below.


About the Author
Kayla Clarke headshot

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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