The United States Marshal Service (USMS) arrested two brothers in connection with a cold case murder from 1997, the Michigan State Police (MSP) announced Tuesday.
A Lenawee County, Michigan, farmer discovered the body of man in his field in November 1997, according to a news release from MSP. The body was difficult to positively identify, because the victims’ head and hands had been severed. (RELATED: Police Identify Boy’s Remains After 65 Years)
Michigan State Police say two men from Ohio were arrested nearly 26 years after human remains were found in Lenawee County. https://t.co/egsKrNiMNc
— CBS Detroit (@CBSDetroit) January 25, 2023
At the time of the investigation, authorities estimated the victim had to have been laying in the farmer’s cornfield for a few weeks to a month given how the corpse had decomposed, according to MLive.
Witnesses speculated the victim may have been a man named Roberto, who resided in Texas with his wife and children. The man went missing when leaving for a trip to Chicago and never came back, Fox2 Detroit reported. The remains are still identified as “John Doe,” and investigators have not yet been able to make an identification, according to MLive.
The investigation was “off and on” following the discovery of the body in the 90s, until the case officially reopened in 2016, Sgt. Larry Rothman told MLive.
MSP and its Cold Case Unit eventually found a break which led to the arrest of brothers Richardo Sepulveda, 51, and Michael Sepulveda, 49, in Ohio, Fox2 reported. The outlet did not specify the exact nature of the break in the investigation.
The brothers are facing multiple charges including first-degree premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree premediated murder, assault with intent to maim, conspiracy to commit assault with intent to maim, tampering with evidence and conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence, WILX reported.
The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities seeking additional charges against anyone who may have either helped the suspects commit the crime or assisted in covering it up, according to the MSP press release.
“Michigan State Police worked with multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to gather evidence and establish a timeline of events,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said, according to Fox2. “I am grateful for their persistence in pursuing this case. All crime victims deserve justice regardless of how long it takes to receive it.”
