NELSON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — More details are emerging about a man who was discovered Wednesday afternoon deceased near a cornfield on 16 Mile Road and Myers Lake in Kent County’s Nelson Township.
Police say the victim is 54-year-old Steven Carl Day of Grand Rapids.
“He thought it was a deer, and so that`s what mostly what we are looking for in the morning are deer so it was quite a shock,” said Cyndi Ambrose, a resident on the road
Ambrose said her neighbor thought it was a deer when he first spotted the man’s body.
After he investigated further, she said she called police.
The spot where the man was located had blue dye surrounding what appeared to be clues in the case.
“They said that there had been snow on him so they thought possibly he had been dumped off the night before,” said Ambrose. “Usually we don’t get a lot of traffic because it’s a dead end road.”
Other nearby residents told FOX 17 that detectives told them they figured out who may have been responsible for Day’s death by looking at his cell phone.
They said they were told that Day didn’t have an ID on him and the phone was able to link him to two men that are currently in custody on a felony homicide warrant.
“They said no visible signs of injuries,” said Ambrose. “And, no identification was on the body.”
The men who where booked at the Kent County Jail are Robert Stewart McCombs and Rodger Jay Musick.
They may be arraigned Monday on related charges in Kent County Court.
“Never heard of them,” said Ambrose. “We`re all trying to figure out if we`ve seen any of the vehicles, they said it`s supposed to be a blue van perhaps.”
Other neighbors said that investigators indicated that they may have located the vehicle involved in the crime.
They also told residents that initial findings indicated Day may have been transient or homeless, and may have been strangled at some point before being dropped off on 16 MIle road.
There is speculation that he was killed somewhere other than the location where he was found.
“They`re saying because he wasn`t that far off the road,” said Ambrose. “And he was not dragged into the cornfield.
Ambrose said that she and the other residents on the road may have driven right by Day that same morning, but couldn’t see him because it was dark out when they were heading to work.
“A lot of us leave early in the morning,” said Ambrose. “So we didn`t observe anything. The first three or four cars would have passed. But, our neighbor across the street gets home in the afternoon. He`s the one that noticed it.”
“Kind of makes you uneasy. I`m locking my doors more at night,” said Ambrose. “We`ve had lots of good county patrols coming out so you know, they`re really on top of it. We really appreciate that.”
Court officials tell us the two men could be arraigned Monday.
