Metro Detroit Man Found Dead After 'Suspicious' Van Fire In Jackson County

BLACKMAN TWP., Mich. (WWJ/AP) - Authorities say a metro Detroit man has been found dead following a minivan fire in Jackson County that's being investigated as suspicious.

The Blackman-Leoni Township Department of Public Safety says 53-year-old Michael Alan Budds of Wayne County's Redford Township died in the fire last Thursday.

Officers extinguished a fire reported about 7:40 p.m. that day and found Budds dead inside the badly burned vehicle, according to The Jackson Citizen Patriot. The cause of the fire is under investigation and authorities say the minivan appeared to be stuck in the snow.

Public safety Director Michael Jester said in a statement that Budds owned the house and was in the process of fixing it up so he could move there.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police at 517-788-4223.

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