A dog mauling case out of Plymouth Township has been linked to a child torture investigation that involves zip ties, chopping off hair, and other allegations.

When Zoeie Mendez looked down at the newly released mugshot of Richard Werstine, she was in shock, as it was the face of the man who was accused of killing her father 30 years ago.

Plymouth Township police said a disturbing series of investigations tied to the same household has led to disturbing charges, including child abuse, torture, unlawful imprisonment, and narcotics trafficking.

People living in manufactured housing communities across Southeast Michigan say their water is brown and yellow. They’re asking Local 4 to find out why.

Woodhaven Mayor Patricia Odette is speaking out amid an investigation into alleged misconduct after submitting and then withdrawing her resignation earlier this month.

In a lawsuit filed against Vista Maria, an all-girls facility that Local 4 began investigating over a year ago, six women and girls said the respected Dearborn Heights nonprofit that was meant to protect children instead became a “house of horrors.”

Sitting in a suit beside his attorney, Michael Justus appeared in federal court Thursday for sentencing with character letters from family, friends, his partner and therapist, along with a statement of his own.

Jury selection began Tuesday in the murder trial of Dale Warner, who is accused of killing his wife, Dee Warner, in Lenawee County.

Michigan lawmakers are continuing to press the U.S. Postal Service for answers and are asking for a tour of the facility after a man was killed in a machine at a facility in Allen Park.

Vista Maria has laid off nearly 130 employees and officially ended its residential youth mental health programming.

Three prominent men from Metro Detroit are accused of openly discussing being pedophiles during graphic chats about young boys, according to the FBI.

Three men -- a doctor, an attorney, and a therapist -- from Oakland and Wayne counties are involved in a web of child pornography chats, and some sexually abused young boys, according to federal officials.

Hamtramck’s already-chaotic 2025 election has escalated into a full-scale legal battle, with City Clerk Rana Faraj filing a sweeping lawsuit alleging retaliation, defamation, and violations of Michigan’s Whistleblower Protection Act.

A Michigan woman said she told her psychiatric nurse everything, and that led to the nurse taking advantage of her.

Nearly 15 months after 81-year-old Susan Hammerton was beaten, strangled, and fatally stabbed inside her Pittsfield Township home, her family says they are still fighting for basic information about the case — and for a criminal trial they fear may never happen.

A Westland woman says the psychiatric nurse practitioner she trusted to guide her through a mental-health crisis in Ann Arbor instead manipulated her into secretly loaning thousands of dollars.

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries refuted allegations of inadequate living conditions in their veteran housing after a report highlighted issues.

Residents living in a Highland Park veterans’ apartment building said they are facing unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the facility operated by Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries.

Fewer than 90 days before 36-year-old Nicholas John Acker was found dead in a mail-sorting machine at the USPS Detroit Network Distribution Center in Allen Park, a formal grievance had been filed warning that the very same machine was unsafe, Local 4 has learned.

Hamtramck’s contentious mayoral race faces new complications as the city clerk is placed on administrative leave and one candidate files a lawsuit challenging his opponent’s eligibility to serve.

Defense attorneys for David Taylor, the former leader of Kingdom of God Global Church, now facing federal forced labor and money laundering conspiracy charges, are asking a judge to reconsider a detention order requiring him to stay in custody while he awaits trial.

The attorney representing more than a dozen former Vista Maria residents said he will hold a press conference on Wednesday.

Vista Maria announced it will permanently lay off over 150 employees as its residential program discontinues.

Local 4 Insiders spoke out three days after a fire at a Southgate senior living facility, sharing concerns about the response efforts.

Attorney Michael Jaafer confirmed to The Investigators on Local 4 Thursday that his firm has launched an investigation into what he called “disturbing allegations” from former residents of Vista Maria, a youth residential facility in Dearborn Heights, and said his firm plans to file suit.

A new audit of Michigan’s Sex Offender Registry has uncovered accuracy issues, including potentially thousands of incorrect addresses for registered offenders.

Hamtramck City Council member Mohammed Hassan is one step closer to trial after a judge ruled there is enough evidence that he forged an absentee ballot application in 2023.

A Michigan lawmaker is demanding the state restore Office of Recipient Rights patient complaint data that had been removed from the state website.

Forced labor, terror through text messages, and denied food and sleep all to support a luxury lifestyle. That’s the case the U.S. Attorney is building against a Taylor man and his business partner.

“I thank God every day,” said Shelby Clark, who said she encountered him posing as a father looking for a babysitter. “My family thanks God every day. My parents tell me I had an angel on my shoulder that day.”

Brandon Cifani, 29, faced a federal judge Friday, and while a woman who said she encountered him last month described what it was like to see him again, others are allegedly coming forward with similar experiences.

“I thank God every day,” said Shelby Clark, who said she encountered him posing as a father looking for a babysitter. “My family thanks God every day. My parents tell me I had an angel on my shoulder that day.”

Former Vista Maria residents are speaking out as the all-girls residential treatment facility in Dearborn Heights faces new violations.

The FDA issued a letter to health care providers urging them to follow manufacture’s instructions when using hyperbaric chambers.

A motion hearing was held on Friday for the man accused in the cold case murder of a mother who was abducted after dropping her son off at school over 35 years ago.

Our new series, “Backstory,” kicks off with a look at some of the biggest investigative stories Local 4 has tackled over the decades.

The Investigators at Local 4 has obtained a report conducted by an outside law firm investigating allegations against three suspended Hamtramck employees.

Eight months later, Jeffrey Bernhard is dedicated to being a single father and is leaning on his faith,

Police are seeking the public’s help in locating 22-year-old Jacob Angeles, who disappeared after attending the Michigan Renaissance Festival in Holly on Saturday.

The man accused of abducting, sexually assaulting and murdering Beverly Wivell over 35 years ago appeared in court on Tuesday.

Law enforcement sources confirm that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has been in contact with authorities to address growing concerns involving Vista Maria, a residential facility for vulnerable girls in Dearborn Heights.

Local 4 sat down with Vista Maria leadership to discuss safety concerns at the facility.