GIBRALTAR, Mich. – Gibraltar police say they've made an arrest after a woman's remains were found earlier this month stuffed in a suitcase and floating in a southeast Michigan creek.
Police Chief Ray Canterbury said the 52-year-old man arrested Wednesday was a neighbor of the woman's family. He said he confessed to dismembering the body but not to the killing.
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The police chief said additional remains of 32-year-old Pam Prpich were discovered when they arrested the man.
"We found some more remains in the apartment," Canterbury said.
The first set of remains were found Aug. 18 in Gibraltar, about 20 miles southwest of Detroit.
Canterbury said the Gibraltar woman had been missing since earlier in the month.
A positive ID was pending DNA results.
Michael Prpich is Pam Prpich's brother. He said he had little knowledge of the man in police custody.
"We never had a face-to-face, never meet him personally. This guy was an acquaintance as far as we know. He and my sister were not dating or anything like. My sister was 32-years-old. She had a broken ankle and I think someone preyed upon her," Prpich said.
The man taken into custody has not been identified. Local 4 talked with his brother. He gave a different view of the relationship between his brother and Pam Prpich.
"I wouldn't say boyfriend-girlfriend. I'd say more of a sexual type of relationship," the brother said.
The brother said the man arrested was involved in drugs and that he and Prpich did drugs together.
"I don't think he would have killed her. I think they might have been doing drugs together and she could have died," the brother said.
He said he had met Prpich with his brother and said his brother, who is now in police custody, seemed to change after the discovery of the suitcase containing Prpich's remains.
"Since this has happened I talked with him on the phone quite frequently. He's been kind of quiet lately. He hasn't been himself so I'm not surprised if something strange has taken place," the brother said.
An autopsy is being performed on the remains. Wayne County prosecutors will decide what charges to file in the case.
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