SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday, Dec. 15, that they have identified a murder victim found in 1985 as Cheryl Coates.
According to authorities, her body was found buried in a shallow grave near the intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Stamford Road in Superior Township. The sheriff’s office believes she was killed between January 1984 and January 1985.
Coates was known to frequent the Southfield and Detroit area.
Using DNA technology, investigators found the name of the victim’s biological mother, who died in the Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks.
“As we went to reach out to mom, we realized she worked at the Pentagon, and on Sept. 11, she was at work, and she lost her life, so one of the last known contacts we had was no longer with us,” Director Derrick Jackson with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office said.
From there, they tracked down the victim’s cousin, who knew right away it was Coates.
“She said you’re talking about my cousin Cheryl, so the pieces started to come together,” Jackson said.
The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information regarding Coates’ murder.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at 734-973-7711.
“Maybe there are friends out there or family members or just an acquaintance who knows who Cheryl was and has just a little bit of information,” Jackson said.
