IOSCO COUNTY (WWJ) - The body of a Warren man believed to have been murdered back in June may have been discovered in northern Lower Michigan, officials say.
The Warren Police Department announced they believed they recovered the body of James Wilkins, 27, a father and football coach, on Monday, Nov. 13 in a remote area of Oscoda Township, not far from an access road among thick woods and brush.
Wilkins went missing on June 9 under what investigators say were "suspicious circumstances." Family and friends of the 27-year-old alerted police after he failed to show up for work.
Over three months later, remains were dug up in Oscoda Township -- a roughly three hour drive from Warren -- by Warren police with the help from state troopers, their cadaver dog, the U.S. Park Service and Oscoda Township public safety officers.
An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 16, where a positive identification is expected to be made. As of Friday morning, those results were not yet released.
In an unusual move, Warren police charged two men in connection to the case, one of which was Wilkins' longtime friend and roommate, even though the victim's body hadn't been found.
Warren police believed the two men had fought at Wilkins' apartment and shots were fired.
Police conducted an investigation in Wilkins' apartment where they found a newly patched bullet hole in the wall as well as what was believed to be blood. Detectives also searched the vehicle used by his roommate, Donald Renfroe.
On the day Wilkins was reported missing, police discovered Renfroe rented cleaning equipment and bought cleaning supplies from a local hardware store. Investigators claim Renfroe contacted a friend, Darius Glenn, and the two allegedly cleaned up Wilkins' home and went together to dispose of his body.
Renfroe, 25, was charged with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, concealing the death of an individual and a felony firearm offense while Glenn, 28, was charged with tampering with evidence, accessory after the fact to a felony and concealing the death of an individual.
On Thursday, Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer said in a prepared statement that "credible and reliable information" led them to Oscoda Township and eventually to the recovered body.
"Our investigators never stopped working this case from the beginning as our goal was to locate Wilkins' body so that his family could have some closure," he said.
Renfroe was tracked down to Ohio where investigators said he fled after allegedly committing the crime. He was arrested on an unrelated charged and extradited back to Michigan in connection to Wilkins' murder. Detectives seized multiple handguns that Renfroe owned, including one handgun believed to have been used to kill Wilkins.
For more on today's latest stories, click below: