Investigations

Michigan Medicine will no longer run Wayne County Morgue after Local 4 exposes long list of issues

Michigan Medicine will no longer run the Wayne County Morgue after a Local 4 investigation exposed a long list of issues, including decomposing bodies and the wrong person being buried.

Detroit Bulk Storage leaving Detroit River site after dock collapses, hundreds of violation tickets

Detroit Bulk Storage is packing up and moving out of its site along the Detroit River after two dock collapses and more than 300 violation tickets.

Michigan women who survived human trafficking seek pardons for crimes they say were justified

This is the story of two Michigan women -- both victims of human trafficking -- who were sentenced and served their time for crimes they committed.

Monroe County Animal Shelter under investigation amid allegations of neglect

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is taking a closer look into its own animal shelter after several accusations of neglect from the community.

Will info from lie detector test Floyd Galloway took be used in Danielle Stislicki murder case?

Will the results of a polygraph test that Floyd Galloway took be admissible in the trial against him? Galloway is facing charges in connection with the murder of Danielle Stislicki.

Highland Park’s Mama Shu fights for justice after son murdered while protecting neighborhood

Shu Harris, also known as “Mama Shu,” helped her neighborhood rebuild and now she needs help from police after her son was murdered.

Rape survivor says Eastern Michigan University discouraged her from filing report: ‘It needs to change’

Did Eastern Michigan University officials disregard reports of sexual assault and discourage victims from reporting their attacks?

Hear from the private investigator who found Brendan Santo’s body in the Red Cedar River

Brendan Santo, 18, was visiting friends at Michigan State University over Halloween weekend last year when he went missing.

Funeral directors voice concern with ongoing issues at Wayne County Morgue

The Wayne County Morgue medical examiner was called in to answer questions after the Local 4 Defenders exposed months of mistakes in the morgue.

Why did it take 2 years for the Wayne County Morgue to identify a man’s remains when his ID was found with him?

Why did it take two years for the Wayne County Morgue to positively identify a man’s remains when his ID was found near him?

Defenders investigations reveal mistakes in the Wayne County Morgue: When is enough enough?

I’ve exposed several issues at the Wayne County Morgue and the investigation isn't over yet.

‘We’ve been fighting so long’: How 2 Michigan women helped solve their sister’s murder

Christina Ann Thompson Harris, 36, died in September 2014. Officials said Harris prepared a bowl of cereal for his wife and laced it with a lethal dose of heroin. Her sisters never stopped fighting for justice.

Where are Ethan Crumbley’s parents? Were red flags ignored before Oxford High School shooting?

U.S. Marshals have joined the search Friday for the parents who are charged in connection with the deadly attack on Oxford High School that their 15-year-old son is accused of committing.

Inside the evidence room: What Detroit police are doing to get illegal guns off the street

Police said in 2020 the department saw more than twice as many illegal guns in Detroit as they did in 2019.

Michigan man convicted after breast milk helps prove he laced wife’s cereal with lethal dose of heroin

A Michigan man has been convicted of premeditated murder after his late wife’s breast milk helped prove that he laced her cereal with a lethal dose of heroin, officials said.

‘Justice for Danielle Stislicki’: Family wants answers as murder trial faces delays

Family members of Danielle Stislicki are speaking out about her mysterious disappearance and the fight for answers.

Who runs the Wayne County morgue?: Woman says daughter’s body delivered to funeral with maggots in mouth

Another person spoke with the Local 4 Defenders to share a horror story about how her loved one’s body was treated at the Wayne County morgue.

Defenders bust Taylor mayor for more than $10K in unpaid bills at Lakes of Taylor Golf Course

Why does the mayor of Taylor have unpaid bills to a city-owned golf course?

More than 622,000 counterfeit N-95 masks seized before reaching Metro Detroit hospital system

Homeland Security investigators seized 622,000 fake N-95 face masks from inside a warehouse on the west side of Detroit.

Family says it was not notified of man’s body being at Wayne County morgue until 17 months later

The 59-year-old was found dead in Detroit and brought to the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office. Despite ID being on him, his family was not contacted until 17 months had passed.

Medical examiner questioned after investigation reveals missing woman’s body sat in Wayne County Morgue for 7 months

Just more than a week after a Local 4 Defenders investigation exposed problems at the Wayne County Morgue, the medical examiner was brought in before a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services board.

Cyber attacks on schools: How Metro Detroit districts must prepare

It’s a problem across the country including right here in Metro Detroit. School districts targeted by hackers.

Wayne County commissioners demand answers after missing woman’s body sits at morgue for months

County commissioners are demanding answers after the body of a woman believed to be missing sat in the morgue for seven months before being cremated without the family’s knowledge.

Family finds out missing woman’s body had been at Wayne County morgue for months, then cremated

The family said the morgue kept saying it didn’t have the 31-year-old mother.

13 years later, murder of Monroe girl Nevaeh Buchanan remains unsolved

‘I was raped’: Former Eastern Michigan student shares what happened when he reported assault

Investigating Brendan Santo’s death: Why were cameras not working on campus? What are police doing now?

Project Safer Streets: Farmington Hills Police Department uses old, new tactics to change policing

Taylor auxiliary police unit temporarily suspended amid investigation into accidental shooting

Flashpoint Interview: Local 4′s Karen Drew talks massive Wayne County Morgue investigation