The Michigan Times

Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: Campus

Media Credit: Michael Stechschulte Authorities were called after a body was found in the Flint River this morning.

Media Credit: Michael Stechschulte Officers investigate the scene on UM-Flint's campus.

(FLINT) -- The body of a man believed to be in his forties was pulled from the Flint River near the Hamilton Dam on the campus of the University of Michigan-Flint at approximately 8 a.m. Friday.

A new report by WJRT-TV in Flint indicates the body may be that of Dewayne Fletcher, 40, of Flint. Fletcher had been missing since Jan. 23. According to a Feb. 19 report in The Flint Journal, Fletcher worked his second-shift security job at Genesee Packaging North before walking home 3 1/2 miles because his car was in the shop with transmission problems. Fletcher had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was taking medication.

The man appeared to be dressed as a security guard and was wearing a badge with Fletcher's name clearly visible, but police are awaiting autopsy results.

Fletcher's sister Diane told WJRT-TV that her brother's condition likely led him to the river.

"Either he was so depressed he jumped or he was walking along there thinking, trying to gather his thoughts and slipped and fell in," said Diane.

Four residents of the nearby Carriage Town Ministries found the body while they were walking along the river outside the William S. White Building.

"Some gentlemen were coming through the park this morning and observed what they thought was some kind of buoy, but when they started to try to get the buoy, they found out it was actually a person," said Flint police Sgt. Roderick LeGardye.

LeGardye added that the men first contacted the UM-Flint Department of Public Safety, who then notified Flint police.

The body showed no indication of trauma, but authorities are not ruling out foul play as a cause of death. There is also no indication of how the man ended up in the river.

"They won't even know anything probably until an autopsy, unless there's something totally obvious" said Sgt. Allen Cozart, a UM-Flint public safety officer. "It's a big question right now."

Two of the men, Dallas Scheistel and Stacey Woods, grabbed the body and held it in place to prevent it from floating further down the river, while another man, Robert Yauch, went to notify authorities.

"We were waiting for what seemed like forever," said Scheistel, who added that there did not appear to be any markings on the man.

"If we didn't see the bobbers, I wouldn't have got over to the side to dig with him, but actually we just kicked the debris loose just to free it up from right there, and sure enough, here comes a man floating," said Woods.

The body was found near the bottom of the Hamilton Dam, but authorities do not know where it may have entered the river.

Autopsy results are pending.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools