MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. -- A double homicide that police in Muskegon Heights initially thought was not connected left them with no suspects but one 'person of interest.'
Investigators said Tuesday afternoon that they're searching for Leon Means, 61. While he's not being named a suspect they are calling him a "person of interest" in both killings.
While the search for Means continues, the family of Anna Lawson, 63, sat her on front door steps on Sherman Boulevard for a candlelight vigil. Lawson's body was found lifeless inside the home just hours earlier.
"It's just devastating to me because she was a very good person," Erline McCrae, Lawson's sister, said.
The mother of two boys lived in the home for nearly 50 years. McCrae said she can't understand why anyone would hurt her baby sister.
"She loved people. She was a very caring person," McCrae said. "She loved to try to cook like me."
While Lawson's body was found at 1 a.m. Tuesday, less than a mile away and just six hours later, police found another victim. Judy Bushman, 62, was found dead inside her home on Wood Street.
A source close to the investigation said Means was dating Bushman at the time of her murder. As it turns out, Lawson's family said they know him, too.
"He always passed by on a bike to speak to her [Anna Lawson],"McCrae said. "She always treated him nice."
McCrae said her mother dated Means' uncle at one point, and that the two families have known each other for several years.
"We've always been family to you [Means]," McCrae said. "If you did it Leon, turn yourself in and get some help."
In addition to searching for Means, investigators are also looking for a grey Chevrolet Malibu that was stolen from Lawson's home with a license plate of 8KVY23.
Anyone with information is asked to call Silent Observer at 231-72-CRIME.
