Michael Lee Stratford was a 38-year-old single father and River Rouge resident who vanished in early May 2016 after leaving the home he shared with his mother and three-year-old daughter. He worked as a forklift driver for an automotive company. Family reported him missing on May 7, 2016, after he failed to return home; his motorcycle was later located at a friend’s house on Brian Street in Taylor, where he last had contact.

On May 15, 2016, Stratford’s body was found in a field in Ypsilanti. Investigators believe he was shot inside the Brian Street residence on the day he disappeared and that his body was later moved to the field. Two brothers were identified as suspects; one, a 41-year-old from Taylor, turned himself in and later confessed that Stratford had been shot at their home and dumped in Ypsilanti. The other brother, 36, was arrested in Detroit the same day.

Both men, named Wesley Brown and Adam Brown, were charged in connection with Stratford’s death. Wesley faced open murder, disinterment, and mutilation of a dead body; Adam faced disinterment and mutilation of a dead body and being an accessory after the fact. At arraignment in 23rd District Court both pleaded not guilty; Wesley was held without bond and Adam’s bond was set at $1 million.

Did anyone in River Rouge or Taylor have contact with Michael in the days before May 7 who hasn’t yet spoken up?