http://www.sooeveningnews.com/articles/200...ews/news286.txtUP Cold Case Team seeks information
Answers sought in death of Marvel Anderson
By SCOTT BRAND
ST. IGNACE - Fourteen years after the death of 16-year-old Marvel Anderson, the Upper Peninsula Cold Case Team is asking for the public's help in solving her case.
“We are looking at this case again from the beginning,” said Mackinac County Prosecutor Fred Feleppa. “We believe there are individuals who have important information, and we are asking anyone with any information to please contact investigators to help us bring closure to Marvel's family.”
Marvel Anderson was last seen on May 2, 1994, according to published accounts, walking with a friend in downtown St. Ignace around 5 p.m. She had apparently left a note informing her mother she was going for a walk and would return soon. Marvel's mother reported her missing when she failed to come home later that evening.
Authorities initially suspected the high school sophomore was a runaway, believing she may have headed to Texas to stay with a friend.
For 16 months, Anderson's whereabouts remained unknown until bear hunters happened upon some skeletal remains in the Hiawatha National Forest approximately 10 miles north of St. Ignace on Sept. 3, 1995. While there is no official word from law enforcement regarding the evidence obtained at the scene, authorities have investigated the case as a homicide. Despite their efforts - satellite images, forensic testing, witness interviews, video testimonials and a visit to an Engadine car lot to collect blood, hair and other items - no arrests have been made.
Marvel Ann Anderson, in a poster from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, was described as a white female standing 5'5” and weighing 135 pounds at the time of her disappearance. She was five months pregnant and may have been with a male companion, according to information distributed by this organization.
“We have already investigated many tips in this case, but we are still looking for the missing piece of information that will break everything open,” said Feleppa.
Law enforcement personnel associated with this case have indicated, over the years, that they have a pretty good idea who may have committed the crime. However, they have been unable to collect enough evidence to charge the individual.
“We are just putting a new focus on it,” said Detective Robin Sexton of the Michigan State Police, speaking on the Tuesday press release from the St. Ignace Post.
Anyone with information in the death of Marvel Anderson is encouraged to call, toll-free, 1-866-901-8477.
The Upper Peninsula Cold Case Team includes officers from the Michigan State Police, the St. Ignace Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Forest Service.