A young girl out for an afternoon with her grandfather at a boat dock was in for quite a shock when she discovered a foot in the water. Since it’s getting closer to Halloween, the girl’s grandfather initially thought the body parts were nothing more than a silly prank to kick off the season.
Unfortunately for them, this was no prank. The foot was real, and belonged to a middle school custodian who had gone missing days earlier. The custodian had been dismembered and his body parts ended up in the water. Thankfully, a suspect was identified, arrested, and is currently in jail.
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The girl and her grandpa thought it was a Halloween prank at first.
A 16-year-old girl, whose name was not released, was on a walk along the Edward Golson Boat Launch in Bay City, Michigan, with her grandfather, John Donaldson, when she spotted a foot in the water.
“It being near Halloween, I thought it was some kind of prank,” Donaldson told MLive. “I went down there and it initially looked like a dollās foot.”
When he looked at it again, he realized that it was in fact a human foot an called 911. While they were waiting for emergency services, his granddaughter spotted a hand among some driftwood.
The remains belonged to a man who had been reported missing.
On September 19, a day after the remains were discovered, the remains were identified as belonging to 41-year-old Justie Stilwell. Stilwell’s family had reported him missing on September 18, the Bay City Department of Public Safety wrote on Facebook.
“The remains located on 09/18/24 included two arms and two lower legs including feet,” the post read. “How the remains got into the Saginaw River is unknown at this time and is being investigated.”
The family found Stilwell’s car at a nearby park the same day his feet and arms were found.
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A suspect has been taken into custody in relation to the crime.
In a new Facebook post, the Department of Public Safety wrote “a 40-year-old Bay City man was arrested in connection to the homicide and taken to the Bay County Jail” on September 25. Police added that additional remains believed to be Stilwell’s were found in another part of the city.
While the authorities didn’t name suspect in the Facebook post, multiple outlets, including the Midland Daily News, identified the man as Robert Dale Tweedly Jr.
Tweedly was charged with one count of open murder and one count of moving and mutilation of a corpse on September 27. Tweedly, who pleaded not guilty to both charges, is in jail on a $1 million bond.
The school where Stillwell worked released a statement.
While Stilwell’s family haven’t released a statement about his disappearance or death, T.L. Handy Middle School, where Stilwell worked, released a statement to families about his death.
“Justie was a valued member of our Handy family, and we know that this loss will be felt deeply by many,” the statement, shared by MLive, read. “Our thoughts are with Justieās family and all those affected by this loss.” Counseling services have been provided to the school community.
The girl who made the discovery seems to be doing well.
When speaking to MLive, John Donaldson said that despite the truly gruesome find, his granddaughter is doing well.
“Sheās pretty streetwise,” he shared. “She watches a lot of Criminal Minds, so she knows it goes on. I donāt think it affected her really bad.”
