Sterling Heights Police Say Body Parts Found in 15 Mile Road Sewer are Female

Police say DNA evidence has confirmed that the human remains discovered Aug. 15 in a Sterling Heights sewer are those of a white female.

The gruesome discovery was made by workers from Inland Water Pollution Control who were making repairs to the system located along 15 Mile Road just east of Maple Lane in August. 

Nearly a dozen body parts were found on a grate in the sewer located 50 feet beneath the surface of 15 Mile Road.

Gene Schabath, Deputy Public Works Commissioner for Macomb County, told WWJ at the time of the discovery that there appeared to be between 10 and 15 different body parts measuring about six inches in length, according to HuffPost Detroit.

The remains were recovered and examined by the Macomb County Medical Examiners Office, which found the remains to be those of a Caucasian, according to a press release from the Sterling Heights police.

No additional identifying information was available except for a partial tattoo that is present on some of the recovered remains. 

The DNA samples were also sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification where scientists confirmed that the victim in this investigation is a female, Sterling Heights police report.

Police say the combined results suggest that the victim, who has yet to be identified, was a white female with a large build. The DNA results will be entered in State and Federal DNA Index System where they will be periodically checked for possible identification, according to Sterling Heights police.

It is unknown if the body parts were placed in the location where they were found, as the sewer line itself is 21 miles long and stretches from Detroit to Oakland County.