Battle Creek man found dead in Alabama

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A Battle Creek man, who was missing for more than a week, has been found dead hundreds of miles from home.

The family of Claude VanDusen worries that he did not make that long journey alone.

VanDusen disappeared from Battle Creek on October 1^st, then on Thursday night, someone noticed his van in a remote section of Escambia County, Alabama; police found his body nearby.

Now that VanDusen's body has been found in Alabama, the missing persons case may have turned into a murder investigation.

Newschannel 3 spoke with VanDusen's step-son, Chris Hooper.

"It's a very emotional situation right now," Hooper said, "we don't understand what's going on exactly."

Finding his step-father has been Hooper's main goal for a week and a half, so to learn that he may have been killed somewhere between Battle Creek and Alabama is not the news he wanted.

Hooper had retraced his step-father's moves in Battle Creek on October 1^st over and over, from the Independent Bank, to the Marathon Gas Station, even checking around the Lowes where VanDusen had a corporate account; but he found no signs or clues.

Now that Hooper knows VanDusen's body was found hundreds of miles away, he wonders if foul play may have been involved.

"I don't understand," Hooper said, "if somebody was going to rob him . . . take the money, take the van, leave him be."

Now Hooper wants to know why anyone would want to harm his step-father.

Police told VanDusen's family that they found his wallet empty, and empty food wrappers in the van.