Overview
- Southfield and Farmington Hills police identified 48-year-old Dwight Respess as the person who left animal remains at the cemetery entrance after a months-long probe that used investigative techniques and technology.
- Investigators and multiple outlets report that the remains were primarily red snapper fish and pigeons and that the incidents drew repeated community complaints near 10 Mile and Beech Road.
- Police submitted the case to prosecutors and on Wednesday Respess was charged with one count of illegal dumping, arraigned, released after posting a $600 cash bond, and given a court date on Aug. 12.
- Respess told officers he left the remains as a personal religious practice he believed would protect him from death, and police said the charge targets unlawful disposal not the suspect’s religious beliefs.
- Officials said the arrest answers ongoing community concern and signals that local prosecutors and police will enforce disposal laws where repeated dumping creates a public nuisance.