Police: Body Found May be Missing Pittsfield Woman

Pittsfield Police announced Thursday that a body believed to be missing township resident Dawn Marie Fital was found in a stream near Hobart, Ind.

Fital, 45, of Pittsfield Township, had been missing since Monday.

Her 44-year-old boyfriend is in custody at a jail facility in Lake County, Ind. His name was not released. The case will be presented to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor for a homicide review and authorization of an open murder warrant, according to a press release.

Positive identity of the body is pending and the autopsy is being conducted by the Lake County Medical Examiners Office.

Tuesday night, the Merrillville Police Department, Indiana, contacted Pittsfield Police and requested a check on the welfare of a 45-year-old woman.  Police spent Wednesday gathering evidence from the 5800 block of Plum Hollow Drive in the Arbor Knoll apartment complex in Pittsfield Township. Evidence gleaned from the investigation in Pittsfield and Indiana led police to believe they were conducting a homicide investigation.

Pittsfield Police are tracking down leads with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Michigan State Police, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Aquatics Underwater and Recovery Unit, and the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office.

The suspect’s name has not been released.