Watch CBS News

Autopsy Reveals Woman Believed To Be Missing From Warren Was Strangled

Kimberly Ann Dejohn
Kimberly Ann Dejohn (Handout photo, courtesy Warren police)

WARREN (WWJ/AP) - Authorities say a woman whose body was buried in northern Michigan died of strangulation.

Warren police believe it's the body of 51-year-old Kimberly Dejohn, who disappeared in mid-May, but the identity still hasn't been confirmed.

Her husband, Loyd Dejohn, is in custody on charges of assault and domestic violence and is considered a person of interest in the case. He's being held on a $1 million bond.

The Macomb County Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy after the body was discovered Wednesday in a shallow grave behind the garage of a foreclosed home in Cheboygan County's Koehler Township, 220 miles northwest of Detroit.

Warren police Commissioner Jere Green told the Detroit Free Press that the body was wrapped in plastic and carpet. Authorities previously said tattoos on the body resemble ones on Kimberly Dejohn.

Green said investigators had been searching northern Michigan -- first on land in Presque Isle County that belongs to Loyd Dejohn's mother -- after finding "circumstantial evidence" in the Dejohn's home on Sherwood Avenue, near 8 Mile Road in Warren.

"There was a lot of evidence at the home suggesting that there was an altercation and the cadaver dogs hit at a location at the upstairs of the house and we were confident that that was the crime scene," said Green.

Police said Loyd Dejohn admitted to getting into a fight with his wife on May 14, but claimed she left the house after the scuffle and never returned.

Kimberly Dejohn was reported missing by her sister on May 28 and Loyd Dejohn was arrested shortly thereafter on domestic violence charges. A felony charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder was later added after the body was unearthed. Loyd Dejohn is due back in court for a preliminary examination on July 3.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact police at 586-574-4790 or 586-574-4877.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.