Construction workers find missing man’s body in storm sewer, Michigan police say

UPDATE: An autopsy confirmed the body belongs to 28-year-old Erik Johnson, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday, Sept. 1. The cause of death has not been determined yet as officials wait for toxicology results, but authorities said his death does not appear to be from foul play.

The original story is below.

A 28-year-old man disappeared more than two weeks ago, and deputies believe his body was just found in a storm sewer, authorities in Michigan said.

Erik Johnson left his home in Coopersville on Aug. 13, the Holland Sentinel reported.

Construction workers reported finding a body in a storm sewer on Wednesday, Aug. 31 — more than two weeks after he was reported missing, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Deputies said they responded to the site in Coopersville around 10:30 a.m. and discovered a body in a drainpipe, which was seen from a manhole.

Authorities said the man could be Johnson, but an autopsy would confirm his identity and cause of death.

During the first week of the search for Johnson, authorities said they did not suspect foul play, WHTC reported.

Coopersville is about 20 miles northwest of Grand Rapids.

This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Construction workers find missing man’s body in storm sewer, Michigan police say."

Helena Wegner

McClatchy DC

Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.