Michigan’s Dark Secret: Are Bodies Hidden in Our Vast Wilderness?

It's certainly a disturbing thought, could people be using rural Michigan as a dumping ground for bodies? With vast tracts of land that are rural, wooded and difficult to access, many parts of the state may seem to be the kind of places used by a serial killer.

Michigan's Vast, Remote Wilderness

Consider the state's national forests or large swaths of the Upper Peninsula, with one area in the Western UP considered among the deepest, most remote wilderness in America.

The morbid question came up on the subreddit of Reddit devoted to all things Creepy. The questioner there was asking about the Appalachian region, but the parallels to Michigan are easy to draw.

Realistically speaking, how many bodies could be in the Appalachian Mountains? I’m not saying this because of the whole ‘it’s haunted’ thing, but because that place is so huge, it would be a perfect place for a serial killer to dump bodies.

The stereotypical, or perhaps best known, Michigan missing body story is that of union boss Jimmy Hoffa, whose 1975 disappearance remains unsolved. The speculation has lasted a half-century as to the whereabouts of his remains.

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The state, like many others, has a history of serial killers and may be home to some currently active.

The stories of bodies found or suspected in the woods are plentiful. Consider the 6-7 young girls suspected to be buried in a wooded area in rural Macomb County.

Beyond the Sinister: Forgotten Burials

Or if not a sinister burial, more of a forgotten one like the potter's field - a graveyard for the indigent often unmarked - like the one with hundreds of bodies discovered near Sault Ste. Marie in 2017.

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There's little doubt that rural Michigan likely holds many secrets under your feet.