Operation United aims to ID bodies connected to cold cases

DETROIT – Police said they've identified seven bodies exhumed in May, but they're still serving warrants in cemeteries.

The investigation is part of Operation United, a project aimed at identifying homicide victims from cases that go back decades. Detroit police said it's a difficult process.

Police have run into a situation at a cemetery in Plymouth where bodies that should be there just aren't. They are unidentified remains from cold cases dating back to the '50s.

Police are working to get DNA from bodies connected to cold cases, hoping to find an answer through that information. The operation is a collaborative effort of Detroit police, federal authorities, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office and the medical examiner's office.

The first round of exhumations was a success, but the second was not, according to police. They were only able to identify one set of remains and they're still looking for six others. Police said records are bad, which is why Detroit police went to a cemetery in Plymouth Tuesday with a warrant.

Watch the video above for the full report.


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Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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