Body of man murdered by brother in Charlevoix County 16 years ago has never been found

Brother sentenced for second-degree murder in 2008

William George Merriman (NamUs)

CHARLEVOIX COUNTY, Mich. – The remains of a man who was murdered by his brother 16 years ago in Charlevoix County have never been found.

William George Merriman was last seen on June 16, 2006, in East Jordan, Michigan.

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According to the Record Eagle, William Merriman was in the county to attend his mother’s funeral. William Merriman had threatened to kick Charles Merriman out of the home unless he found a job.

Police weren’t told he disappeared until a friend reported him missing several weeks later.

Photos: Charles Curtis Merriman (MDOC)

In 2008, Charles Curtis Merriman was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of his brother and sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison.

According to the Record Eagle, the trial lasted 16 days and included 12 days of testimony from 70 witnesses.

During the investigation, police searched the White Feather Landfill in Pinconning, Michigan. Police did find a cushion from the home stained with William Merriman’s blood. William Merriman’s body still has not been recovered.

Anyone with information should contact the Charlevoix County Sheriff’s Office at 231-547-4461.


Read: More Michigan cold case coverage


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We’re working to bring attention to as many unsolved and missing persons cases from around the state as we can. Our hope is that getting this important information out to the public will help generate tips for investigators and potentially lead to closure for the affected families. If you have a cold case you’d like us to look into, please let us know by using the form below.


About the Author

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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