Crime & Safety
Police Announce Cause of Death of Man Found at the Bottom of the Detroit River in Wyandotte
The headless, badly decomposed body of Thomas Lange was recovered on Aug. 15 after a recreational diver discovered Lange's car, with Lange inside, at the bottom of the Detroit River behind the Wyandotte Boat House.
Wyandotte police announced Friday the cause of death of a badly decomposed man found inside of a car at the bottom of the Detroit River was "inconclusive."
Earlier this week, police confirmed the identity of the body to be that of Thomas Daniel Lange, 30, formerly of Wyandotte, using dental record analysis.
"Further analysis has been conducted by an expert in human skeletal structure and the cause of death in this matter has been deemed 'inconclusive,'" Wyandotte Police Chief Daniel Grant said in a release. "As a result of the poor condition of the human remains there exists no evidence to determine that Mr. Lange died as the victim of a homicide."
Lange was reported missing in 2003. His body was likely underwater for about nine years before a recreational diver discovered the car a short time before 1 p.m. Aug. 15 in the river behind the Wyandotte Boat House.
At the time it was recovered, Lange's body was missing both hands and the entire head. Both feet were also detached with one located next to the shoreline in the water and one inside the vehicle on the rear floorboard, according to the release.
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