Three Bodies Wrapped in Towels Found in Basement of Detroit Home

DETROIT — Authorities are investigating after three bodies were discovered inside the basement of a home in southwest Detroit on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Detroit Police Department, officers were in the area of Edsel Street searching for a missing person when an unrelated man approached them claiming he had been assaulted inside a nearby residence. The area is located in the southern part of the city near Ecorse.

Detroit Police Major Crimes Commander Rebecca McKay said the man also told officers there were dead individuals inside the home. Police entered the residence and discovered what sources described as blood throughout the house and the bodies of three men in the basement. The victims were reportedly wrapped in towels and carpeting.

The identities of the deceased have not been released. It is also unclear how long the bodies had been inside the home.

McKay said they all appeared to have been “brutally assaulted” and over the age of 50.

Investigators with the department’s Major Crimes Unit continued canvassing the neighborhood Wednesday evening, speaking with residents and gathering information in an effort to determine what led to the apparent homicides. The Michigan State Police assisted at the scene.

Thomas Barnes, president of the local block club, said he was stunned by the heavy police presence outside his home. Barnes said he has lived on the block for six decades and grew up with the man who resides at the property where the bodies were found.

“At first, we didn’t know if it was an overdose or an actual murder because the officers couldn’t talk about it,” Barnes said. “We don’t know the actual identity of the men or whoever it might be, and I’m hoping and praying that it’s not (the homeowner).”

Another neighbor told reporters there had been questionable activity at the home for years.

“You try to reach out to people to see if they’re OK. When it even goes beyond family sometimes, you try to help, but you don’t know all of what’s really going on,” Barnes said. “You don’t be thinking it’s going to happen in your neighborhood, but there it is.”

Police have not announced any arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Police identify three men found dead in basement of Detroit home

Detroit police on Thursday gave an update on the three bodies that were found on Wednesday in the basement of a Detroit home.

Police say officers were on Edsel Street investigating a missing persons report when an individual approached them claiming that they had been assaulted at a nearby home. Police entered the home and found the bodies of three men, who appeared to have been “brutally assaulted,” according to DPD.

On Thursday, police confirmed that the victims were 65-year-old Mark Barnett, 66-year-old Norman Hamlin, and 72-year-old William Barrett.

It was a brutal scene, not to go too much into detail. We believe at this point, they all met the fate of blunt force trauma; there were some stab wounds on a couple of them,” said Assistant Police Chief Charles Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald said officers discovered the men covered in dirty clothes, with one covered in a carpet.

Family members told CBS News Detroit that Barnett and Hamlin both served in the U.S. Marine Corps together. Hamlin was the primary resident, according to police.

“The gentleman who lived at that location was free to open his house to a lot of folks, so they come and go, and unfortunately,” Fitzgerald said.

Police say they are now searching for a person of interest.

“We are looking for a lighter-skinned Black male, about 31 to 32 years old, 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-7 with dreadlocks,” Fitzgerald said.

Police say it’s unclear what the relation is between the person of interest and these victims, but they’re asking anyone with information that can lead them to him to reach out to them, and you can also do that anonymously.