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Surveillance camera records man dumping body on Detroit's west side

DETROIT – A man is in custody awaiting charges in connection to a woman's death Monday.

Video posted on Facebook shows the man dragging the body of a partially clothed woman in broad daylight from a home in the 11600 block of Winthrop Street.

"I'm scared. I don't like coming out," Elizabeth Strickland, a witness, said. "That could have been me."

It was Strickland's first day working at the Royal Car Wash at the corner of Plymouth Road and Winthrop Street on Detroit's west side. At first, she didn't think twice as the man walked by, but Strickland said she will never forget what she witnessed Monday afternoon.

"I seen a guy that brought a body from out of nowhere and dropped her right there," Strickland said. "And then he tried to run."

She said he ran down an alley toward a nearby gas station. Strickland flagged down police, who apprehended the man.

"He tried to run, but I seen him dump a body," Strickland said. "I'm glad they got him because I pointed him out."

The victim was a 58-year-old mother of two, who authorities believe might have been homeless. Police said she died from trauma to the body.

"She was laying out, she was naked. It was sad," Strickland said. "I feel bad. I feel real bad and I feel loss for the family." 

Detroit police believe the man killed the woman just before he was recorded moving her body.


About the Authors

Priya joined WDIV-Local 4 in 2013 as a reporter and fill-in anchor. Education: B.A. in Communications/Post Grad in Advanced Journalism

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