WABC(DETROIT) — Police in Michigan are searching for the remains of up to six girls after a cold case dating back to the 1970s was reopened.
Investigators on Tuesday executed a search warrant from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office to look for the remains of 12-year-old Kimberly King, who went missing in 1979, in a wooded area near Macomb Township, Warren City Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer told ABC News.
Police believe the remains of four to six girls who were likely sexually assaulted could be buried in the area they are searching, Dwyer said.
Included in that total is a female who went missing from the Oakland Mall in Novi, Michigan, and another who disappeared from Canton, Michigan, according to the police commissioner, who did not disclose their identities or the dates they went missing.
Police believe the man responsible for the deaths is Arthur Ream, who is already serving time for the murder of Cindy Zarzycki, Dwyer said.
Zarzycki went missing in 1986 and her body was later found in 2008 in the same area investigators are looking at today, Dwyer said. She had been dating Ream’s son at the time of her disappearance and was allegedly lured to a Dairy Queen after Ream told her that he was planning a surprise party for his son, The Associated Press reported.
The site where Zarzycki was found was not completely searched in 2008, Dwyer said.
Dwyer said that based on the investigation, he is confident that more bodies will be found, although it may take days.
On Tuesday, trees in the wooded area were cleared and 20 people with backhoes are meticulously combing the area, Dwyer said.
Ream had led investigators to the area in 2008, the AP reported. He has not confessed to any additional murders, Dwyer said.
Ream, 68, is serving life in prison for a first-degree murder conviction, according to the AP. At the time of the conviction, he was already serving time for a 1996 criminal sexual misconduct case, the AP reported.
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