Royal Oak Man Found Dead, Tied Up In Home; Son Arrested

ROYAL OAK, MI — A 31-year-old Royal Oak man has been arrested on suspicion of killing his father in the home they shared, police said Friday.

The man, who has not been identified, is being held after his 73-year-old father was found dead in the home late Thursday evening. The father was found with his hands and legs bound, police said.

Officers had been called to the house in the 3700 block of Elmhurst after the man’s other children were unable to reach him, according to a report. They then discovered the father’s vehicle missing and attempted to locate it, along with the man’s son.

As the investigation continued, officers learned a Berrien County deputy had contact with the son early Thursday morning because the vehicle had run out of gas on I-94 near the Indiana border, Royal Oak Police said Friday. As a broadcast was sent to agencies throughout Michigan and neighboring states, Gratiot County deputies were called to investigate a subject acting erratically at a gas station Thursday evening, police said.

Deputies identified the man as the son and were alerted he was wanted in connection with a homicide investigation in Royal Oak.

As the deputies began taking him into custody, the man is accused of violently assaulting the deputies and fleeing in the father's vehicle, sparking an hour-long pursuit through several counties.

Gratiot County deputies pursued the vehicle through Clinton, Ingham and Livingston counties while other deputies along the pursuit route deployed spike strips, which disabled all four tires of the vehicle, police said.

The vehicle became completely disabled on I-96 in Livingston County near Howell, where the was taken into custody with the assistance of the Livingston County Sheriff deputies, Royal Oak Police said.

No other injuries were reported during the pursuit and the man was taken to the hospital for evaluation of minor injuries.

The son remains in custody while Royal Oak Police Detectives continue to work the investigation, police said.

The father is believed to have died at some point earlier this week and an autopsy is scheduled for Friday to determine the cause of death, authorities said.

Photo by Jessica Strachan \ Patch