Skeletal remains found in a Plymouth Township field 28 years ago identified as Detroit man
After 28 years, skeletal remains found in a Plymouth Township, Michigan, field have been identified as belonging to a Detroit man.
Othram Inc., a Texas-based company that worked with police in identifying the remains, said the victim has been identified as Benjamin Harrison Fountain.
In May 1997, skeletal remains were found in a field off Haggerty Road when a man interested in buying the property spotted a piece of rolled-up carpet while surveying the land, according to Othram. Human skeletal remains, jewelry and clothing were found in the carpet. At the time, police said the carpet and remains had been in the field for several years.
Investigators determined that the remains belonged to an adult man, who was about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and of a slim build. Detectives believed the man died as a result of a head injury and ruled his death a homicide.
In hopes of identifying the remains, investigators looked into the source of a gold class ring that was found on the man's body, and tested clothing and a .357 slug found with his remains.
In 2022, Plymouth Township police began working with Othram to identify the remains. Othram scientists were able to produce a DNA extract from the skeletal remains and created a DNA profile using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing, confirming the man was of African descent.
Through a new DNA profile, police tracked down a potential relative of the man and compared the two DNA profiles, leading to Fountain's identification.
Fountain was born on May 6, 1926, in Virginia, according to Othram, and later lived in West Virginia before finally moving to Detroit. Officials say Fountain, who was drafted to serve in World War II, would have been in his 70s if he were found alive when his body was found.
Fountain's remains had been stored at the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office since they were first discovered in 1997. He was laid to rest, with his name, on May 16, at Our Lady of Hope Cemetery in Brownstown Township.
An investigation into Fountain's death continues.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Plymouth Township Police Department at 734-354-3250.
Othram says the Fountain case is the 19th in Michigan, where law enforcement partnered with the company in identifying an individual.