A Michigan woman who vanished in 2017 was found this Monday at a motel in Inkster, as confirmed by the Michigan State Police (MSP). The woman, now in her 30s, reached out to her stepmother after nearly seven years, prompting a swift response from law enforcement.
After receiving the life-altering tip, MSP detectives and troopers flocked to the Evergreen Motel on Michigan Avenue. They stumbled upon the traumatized woman after hearing, as Lt. Mike Shaw recounted, "screaming and crying" from her motel room. Though the woman was unharmed, the premises contained illicit drugs and a firearm, according to a FOX 2 Detroit report.
The specter of human trafficking looms over the case, though MSP has yet to conclusively tie it to the woman's predicament. MSP informed The Detroit News that a suspect is currently wanted, having fled the scene before the police arrived. Details of the case remain scarce as the investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, the community reacts with both relief and disbelief at the woman's return. "Finding a woman after seven years or, six years or whatever, that’s incredible," said Moe Jag, a local auto service owner, in an interview with WXYZ. A maintenance worker at the motel, Frank Mannarino, suggested an alternate narrative, mentioning the missing woman "was hiding from her family," and her friend allowed her to stay at his room, indicating complexities yet to be unraveled in the ongoing saga.
