The Ypsilanti Courier
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Investigators still seek cause of death
Police believe man was exposed to harsh weather
By Kathleen Conat, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: January 17, 2008
An autopsy performed on the body of D'Mario Campbell, a 23-year-old Taylor man who had been missing since Thanksgiving, was inconclusive, according to Cmdr. Dave Egeler of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department.
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Egeler said it appears Campbell died from exposure to the elements. Authorities are now awaiting toxicology results, which could take several weeks.
The body originally was identified as Campbell's by fingerprints. It had been found Jan. 7 inside a fence line in a remote part of property owned by A-1 Auto Salvage and Scrap yard in Ypsilanti Township. One of the workers from the scrap yard discovered the body.
Campbell had last been heard from after leaving a party in the West Willow neighborhood on Thanksgiving night. Calls were made from his cell phone that night and in the early hours of Nov. 23 to family members. In those calls, Campbell said he was being chase dby unknown persons.
Campbell asked his family to pick him up in the Sugarbrook neighborhood south of Ecorse Road, but it is not known if he ever made it that far. Deputies located Campbell's car late on Thanksgiving night on the outskirts of West Willow. At the time, Egeler said it had been involved in a crash serious enough to cause injury. Campbell's coat was found inside, but there were no signs of foul play.
On Sunday, Nov. 25, family members found Campbell's shoes and cell phone, along with a blood stain, near a fence close to where the vehicle was found. Deputies and K-9 units repeatedly searched the area, but found no evidence of Campbell.
Kathleen Conat is a longtime Ypsilanti resident and freelance writer for The Courier. She can be reached through editor@ypsilanticourier.com.
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