Police are waiting for the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner's Office to release the name of the man found dead outside this vehicle last week.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush said Thursday the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner’s Office is still working to confirm the man's identity. Police told AnnArbor.com last week the man had been identified as a 29-year-old Ann Arbor man and family notification was pending.
Bush said Thursday the medical examiner has more work to do.
“We have not heard back from the medical examiner regarding the fatal (crash on Plymouth Road),” she said.
City workers who were replacing a missing fire hydrant found the man on Oct. 25 near the vehicle when they were searching for the old hydrant. The man appeared to have been in the area in the 1600 block of Plymouth Road next to the Penske Rental Truck for quite some time.
Police on scene on Oct. 25 were unable to immediately determine the gender of the person due to the state of the body. At this point, police are not releasing any information regarding how the man ended up in the ditch or how long he was there.
Members of the man’s family have commented on previous AnnArbor.com stories about the crash and have spoken to AnnArbor.com. However, they have asked AnnArbor.com to not publish any remarks they have made until the medical examiner’s office has completed their investigation. AnnArbor.com has chosen to respect the family’s wishes. The family has also not revealed the man's name.
Dr. Jeff Jentzen, Washtenaw County chief medical examiner, said earlier this week he would release information related to the case when it is available.
The Santa Fe was found in a heavily wooded area next to the Penske building, where reeds had grown to be between 6 and 10 feet tall. Investigators said it was impossible to see into the area from a nearby window in the Penske building.
Police had to call in the Ann Arbor Forestry Department in order to remove plants and trees just to get to the man and the vehicle to investigate and remove the body and vehicle. Initial investigation showed the Santa Fe had been traveling east on Plymouth Road when it ran off the road and crashed.
The Santa Fe was heavily damaged on nearly all sides and was found resting on the driver’s side. The man's body was lying 50 to 75 feet from the road, police said.
There were no traffic cameras in the area of the crash, police said.
Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call the Ann Arbor police anonymous tip line at 734-794-6939 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK UP (773-2587).
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.