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35 years ago: Young woman’s skeletal remains found burned in vacant lot in Detroit

Clothes appeared to be doused with gasoline

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DETROIT – The skeletal remains of a young woman discovered in a vacant lot in Detroit 35 years ago are still unidentified.

The remains were found on Jan. 12, 1988, lying face up on the ground in a vacant lot adjacent to the eastbound I-94 service drive near 12th Street.

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Officials said the vacant lot was cluttered with junk and adjacent to a building that had been gutted by fire. The remains were skeletal when found and appeared to have been doused with gasoline and burned.

The woman is estimated to have been between 15 to 25 years old and estimated to be 5′4′' tall. She had been dead for weeks before her body was discovered.

A red and black sweater, blue jeans, light-colored cotton underwear, a blue shirt or light-weight jacket were all found tattered in the area where her remains were found. The clothes smelled strongly of gasoline.

Information regarding an investigating agency was not available.


Read: Michigan cold case coverage


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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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