Body Found In Lake Michigan
Body Found In Lake Michigan Robert Enos May 20, 2007 - 6:18PM SOUTH HAVEN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A group of fishermen discovered the body severly decomposed about a mile off shore in South Haven around 10:30 this morning. The fishermen called the Van Buren County Sheriffs and the Coast Guard. They then recovered the body and brought it back to shore. Authorities are not sure how long the unidentified woman has been out there, and admit they are having a hard time with that. They can't even really tell what race the woman is or how old she is. Police are now checking missing persons cases from across the state to help identify the body. Newschannel 3 will bring you the latest information as it becomes available. http://www.wwmt.com/news/body_36056___article.html/south_woman.html May 22. 2007 5:03PM Description released of woman found in lake SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. - No signs of trauma were found on the body of a woman discovered floating in Lake Michigan about a mile from the South Haven shoreline Sunday, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department reported. The woman is described as being of partial African American and Caucasian descent, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall with a heavy build, police said. She had dentures and three holes for earrings in each ear but no tattoos, scars or markings on her body. She was wearing pants with a size 40 waist and 30-inch inseam and a 3x size T-shirt and appeared to weigh about 218 pounds, police said. Three fisherman discovered the woman. Police agencies on both the east and west coasts of the lake were notified to determine if they have received reports recently of a missing woman. Anyone with information matching the above description is urged to contact the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office at (269) 657-3101. http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070522/News01/70522069/0/NEWS01 Woman's body found floating in lake Monday, May 21, 2007 Police are trying to identify a body found in Lake Michigan a mile off the South Haven shore. Three fishermen found the floating body Sunday and contacted Van Buren County sheriff's marine patrol. A medical examiner could not determine the woman's age or race, but said she was wearing a blue T-shirt, black turtleneck sweater, camouflage pants, a black belt, brown winter socks and brown work boots. Investigators asked police agencies on both sides of the lake to check if they have anyone missing who could fit the description. The U.S. Coast Guard assisted sheriff's deputies in recovery of the body. http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-6/117975872015480.xml&coll=8

Wednesday, November 28, 2007 Cops: Woman pulled from lake isn't Collier-Sweet Doug Guthrie / The Detroit News BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP -- Almost a year after her disappearance, the futile search for Lizzie Mae Collier-Sweet continues with confirmation today that a body pulled from Lake Michigan isn't the missing woman. "It was our most exciting find in months, but it's not her," said Brownstown Township Police Detective Lt. Robert Grant. "It's almost a year and nobody has seen or heard from her since. It's as though she left the face of the Earth that day." The badly decomposed body found floating a mile off South Haven in May only recently was confirmed through DNA research to have been a black female, age 35 to 50. Although the age range and race match, Collier-Sweet was at least 5-feet-10-inches tall. The unidentified body is just 5 foot 2 and had a full set of false teeth. Collier-Sweet had dentures only for her upper teeth. "We sent out a new notice about our case because we hadn't gotten any tips on her identity," said Van Buren County Sheriff's Detective Gabrielle Rought. "Brownstown contacted us, but there were some immediate differences." Collier-Sweet's husband, Roger Sweet, is a suspect in the Jan. 8 disappearance. The investigation led authorities to charge him with child pornography and criminal sexual contact involving a mentally impaired teen girl and the murder of his first wife. Originally ruled an accidental slip and fall, Marlene Francis Sweet's 1990 death in Farmington Hills was reclassified by a medical examiner as a homicide and Sweet has been ordered to stand trial in Oakland County Circuit Court. Collier-Sweet hasn't been seen since the night before her Brownstown Township home was badly damaged by an apparent arson. The home on Dawnshire remains unoccupied and boarded shut. Her red Lincoln still sits in the driveway where police found her packed suitcase. Authorities also say they found a journal in which Collier-Sweet revealed her stormy marital relationship that she claimed included threats against her life. Bound over for trial in Wayne County Circuit Court, the case is on hold pending a Michigan Supreme Court review of orders that threw out key evidence obtained from the damaged home. You can reach Doug Guthrie at (734) 462-2674 or dguthrie@detnews.com. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071128/UPDATE/711280464