Body Of Pittsfield Twp. Woman Found In Indiana
PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP (WWJ/AP) - Authorities say the body of a missing woman from Michigan was found inside a large suitcase in a pond in northwestern Indiana.
The Lake County, Ind., sheriff's department says the body was discovered Thursday in a swamp behind a toy store between the communities of Hobart and Merrillville.
Deputy Commander Rob Arnold said it appears to be the body of Dawn Fital, 45, a competitive billiards player who lived in Pittsfield Township, Mich. She's been missing this week.
"The body was located in a swampy area behind the Toys 'R' Us in Hobert Indiana, which is a commercial shopping retail area. The female body was discovered in about four feet of water," Arnold told WWJ's Chrystal Knight.
Arnold said Fital's body was found in the fetal position inside a suitcase, bound with duct tape.
Police said that, based on statements that Fital's boyfriend, they began to investigate the case as a homicide. Pittsfield Township officers, Wednesday, checked the woman's apartment she shared with the man at the Arbor Knoll Apartment complex and found evidence of a crime.
Her boyfriend is now in custody and will face murder charges. An extradition hearing in magistrate's court in Crown Point Indiana was scheduled for Friday at 8:45 a.m.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
