Police Identify Body Found in Ditch Off I-94 and I-275

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The badly decomposed body found in a ditch off the I-94 nd I-275 freeways last week was that of a Romulus man who had been missing since May, police said Monday.

Emanuel David Lofton, 50, left the home he shared with his nephew and his wife on the morning May 31 after a discussion about leaving the lights on, The News-Herald reports.

Lofton, who suffered from dementia and reportedly had a drinking problem, often disappeared and was found in abandoned houses or near liquor stores, Jadie Settles, Romulus director of public safety, told the newspaper.

The couple looked for their uncle at an abandoned house in Detroit that he had been known to frequent, but were unable to find him. They subsequently filed a missing person report.

A Michigan Department of Transportation maintenance worker discovered Lofton’s body while mowing on Wednesday, July 29. He was lying face down in a puddle.

The Wayne County Medical Examiner has ruled Lofton’s death a homicide. The Michigan Department of Transportation is leading the investigation.

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