Body found near Coldwater still unidentified

NEAR COLDWATER, Mich. (Newschannel 3) - Police in Branch County are continuing to investigate the death of a missing person, after a man's body was found in a car just south of Coldwater.

The Branch Co. Sheriff's Department is still not confirming the identity of the man, after finding the car around 7:30 Tuesday morning, in a field just off N. Angola Road. That car, a white Pontiac, appeared to have been driven off the road about 250 feet into the field, between two utility poles.

But how the car got there remains a mystery.

After discovering the man's body in the car, local police and the Sheriff's Department taped off the scene, went through the car, and brought in dogs to search the area. They spent about 10 hours searching, but are staying tight-lipped about what, if anything, they have uncovered.

Robert Johnson, who lives nearby the scene, told Newschannel 3 that what first appeared to be an accident, quickly started looking like the scene of a crime.

"Thought somebody had a complication, lost control went off the road, (but) as more and more people started showing up, I thought there might be more to it," he said.

The Secretary of State's office says that the Pontiac is registered to a Duane and Crystal Finney, who live a few miles from where the car was found.

Newschannel 3 spoke with Crystal, who says her husband Duane left for work about 4:30 Tuesday morning, but never showed up, and she hasn't been able to reach him since.

Still, the Sheriff's Department has not confirmed that the body in the car is the body of Duane Finney.

The body will be now be taken to Grand Rapids for an autopsy and identification.

Newschannel 3 will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.