Family and friends gather to remember a man as the mystery deepens

WEST MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – New information is emerging in a West Michigan mystery.

Investigators have gotten back the test results on blood found on a mattress in the back of a pickup truck. That discovery was made last fall after a minor accident near Plainwell.

The driver of the truck, Harold Ordway, still hasn't told police were the blood came from, but on Thursday investigators say it came from Paul Atchley.

Atchley and another man, Michael Vanbuskirk were both known to be roommates of Ordway and were last seen about the time of that crash in September.

So far police have not found Atchley, but the remains of Vanbuskirk were found in a field near Vicksburg.

On Thursday family and friends of Vanbuskirk gathered in Middleville for a memorial.

“I wanted to do this more as a celebration of his life,” said Katie Cooke.

Despite the positive attitude, Cooke says the memorial service is actually a promise she never thought she'd have to keep.

“Mike and I talked about it a long time ago,” said Cooke.

That once hypothetical conversation is now a harsh reality as Cooke says goodbye to her husband of ten years and the father of her four children.

“The boys have been doing a lot better than I thought they would have, I've been keeping them really busy,” said Cooke. “They know he's with them, they feel him all the time, he would never leave them.”

But as they celebrate a life, the shadow cast by the nature of Vanbuskirk's death reminds everyone what lies ahead.

“It's a big step forward,” said Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf, “but we still have a way to go before we bring up any charges.”

Sheriff Leaf is referring to the DNA test results on blood found in Harold Ordway's truck just days after Vanbuskirk and another roommate, Paul Atchley, went missing. Both men rented rooms in a Battle Creek house from Ordway.

“DNA from blood on the gun, blood on the mattress and blood on the suspect's clothing did match who we think is the victim,” said Sheriff Leaf.

Leaf says the blood belongs to Atchley and none of it has been connected to Vanbuskirk's body, which was found in a field in Kalamazoo County in October.

Cooke says she still hasn't had time to process the implications of the new information.

“Mike was my concern. He was my best friend and we needed to find him, I wasn't going to let go until we found him,” said Cooke. “He would have looked for me forever if he had to. As far as the other guys, whatever happens is in God's hands. God will take care of it.”

There was not enough blood found in Ordway's truck to definitively say that blood loss would have killed Paul Atchley. Without a body or further evidence, Barry County officials say they can't request any more charges against Ordway at this point.

Ordway is currently undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.