2 charged in 1997 Michigan murder of headless man; victim still unidentified

Updated

Two brothers were arrested this week on murder charges in connection to a 1997 Michigan cold case in which a man's headless and handless body was found in a cornfield, authorities said.

Brothers Richardo Sepulveda, 51, and Michael Sepulveda, 49, both from Ohio, were arrested Monday on charges including first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit premeditated first-degree murder, assault with intent to maim and tampering with evidence, the Michigan Attorney General's Office announced Tuesday. The two were apprehended by U.S. Marshals and are awaiting extradition to Michigan.

On Nov. 19, 1997, officers were called to a field in Blissfield Township by a farmer who found the body, the attorney general's office said. At the time, police described the body as an "unidentified, unclothed male" who was missing his head and both hands, the attorney general's office reported.

Blissfield Township is located about 30 miles northwest of Toledo, Ohio.

A sketch of the victim from a witness interview.  / Credit: National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
A sketch of the victim from a witness interview. / Credit: National Missing and Unidentified Persons System

Michigan State Police have led the investigation, but as yet do not know the identity of the victim, the attorney general's office reports. There was no word on how investigators identified the two suspects, or whether they had a motive in the killing.

According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, the man was believed to be either white or Hispanic, and was estimated to be between 20 and 40 years old when he was killed.

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