Alicia Standerfer and her husband, Eric, read a statement of grief and gratitude
Sunday evening at the sheriff’s office, standing in front of a picture of Tara Grant.
Macomb Daily staff photo by David Dalton
Posted on 03/05/2007 2:17:51 PM PST by restornu
Shivering Stephen Grant found shoeless, coatless in park up north
Stephen Grant, who became a familiar face to local television news viewers as he repeatedly denied any role in the disappearance of his wife, is expected to be returned to Macomb County today or Tuesday to face charges in her death. Grant was taken into custody Sunday morning in northern Michigan -- two days after he fled from police when they discovered the mutilated remains of Tara Lynn Grant in the family's Washington Township garage.
"Based on his own statements, we are confident we have the right man in custody," Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said at a news conference in Mount Clemens.
Hackel said Grant had made statements to others in the past two days that were close to an admission of guilt.
Grant was found shivering uncontrollably without his shoes or a coat on, hiding behind a tree in Bliss Township near the top of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, some 225 miles from his home in Macomb County.
Emmett County Sheriff Pete Wallin said the fugitive had been in 14-degree weather for several hours.
"I don't think he probably could have made it much longer in those kinds of conditions," Wallin told reporters in Harbor Springs in Emmett County. "I wouldn't want to be out there unless I was dressed for it."
Grant, 37, was airlifted to Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey where Sunday night he was reported to be in stable condition, recovering from hypothermia. If he is medically cleared today, Macomb sheriff's deputies will transport him back to Mount Clemens to face arraignment probably on Tuesday.
Emmett County authorities had been alerted of Grant's possible location by Macomb investigators. An intensive air and ground search was launched with several police agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Lt. Jeremy Loeb of the Coast Guard Station in Traverse City said a helicopter assigned to the search saw fresh footprints in the snow and relayed the information to ground searchers.
Grant didn't say anything when he was hoisted into the helicopter and taken to an airport, Loeb said.
Police found a truck Grant had borrowed from a friend near Wilderness State Park near the Mackinac Bridge. The suspect was not located until 10 hours later. Investigators said they found indentations in the snow that indicated he had fallen or was on the ground resting for some time before he carried on.
Hackel said it was not known where Grant was going. But police do know he had made phone calls from the area and had withdrawn money from an ATM.
Stephen Grant had been missing since Friday night, shortly after police found his wife's torso in the family's garage. Police said he used a friend's pickup truck after allowing deputies into his house to conduct a search.
The search came three weeks after 34-year-old Tara Grant was last seen. The sheriff's office obtained a search warrant after persuading a judge that there was probable cause to believe a crime had been committed there.
Tara Grant was last seen Feb. 9, but her husband did not report her missing until Feb. 14. The two had argued over her frequent business trips abroad, Grant told the media and police. He continued to maintain his innocence in numerous media interviews.
Hackel said his department may also bring charges against others who were "deceptive" to police during the investigation, but declined to identify the parties.
Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said police would like to talk to Verena Dierkes, an au pair for the Grant family who had corroborated Stephen Grant's versions of events. However, the "red tape" involved in international law concerning the German resident could take months to complete.
Smith praised the sheriff's office for completing the investigation.
"From three weeks ago when they got this case of a missing person, for them to solve it in such a short amount of time I think is a real tribute to the sheriff's department," Smith said.
more:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1794958/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1794637/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1790360/posts
The events leave me "shaking my head" in disbelief. Husband reports wife missing, denies any involvement, flees, gets captured and then police find a torso at the house.
Very interesting videos before the capture and the Au Pair!
http://www.wxyztv.com/wxyz/nw_local_news/article/0,2132,WXYZ_15924_5356847,00.html
This seems to be a weird one. Have officials said what body parts were found in woods near the house - or in what condition?
ping
May I ask what bothers you so much about family or close friends (I assume they knew Tara Grant) issuing a public statement?
As anyone noticed this murderer looks like he could be Nancy Pelosi's son?
It sure is like pull teeth trying to get the basic imformation!
If there are any cute photographs or glamour shots of your wife and you murder her, your chances of getting away with it are virtually nil. Unless you’re handsome or (already) famous.
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