IDA TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The remains of a man that were discovered in a wooded area in Ida Township in 1986 have been identified.
His body was discovered on October 17, 1986, and officials estimate that he had been dead for around three months.
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The Monroe County Medical Examiner determined the man had been beaten to death. Police investigated the death as a homicide, but leads dried up when they were unable to identify the man.
In 2018, a DNA sample from the man was entered in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national database that allows law enforcement to compare DNA electronically.
According to authorities, Monroe County Det. Jeff Hooper was notified that the CODIS' National DNA Index System identified a possible sister of the unidentified man.
Hooper met with the woman, who reportedly told him her brother -- Shaun Daniel Brauner -- went missing in June 1986. He was believed to have been a murder victim in a case that was adjudicated in 1990.
In November 2024, authorities used advanced DNA testing to confirm his identity as Brauner. His remains were returned to his family for a memorial service.
The homicide investigation into Brauner’s death has been closed.
