There are indications the skeletal remains found in a wooded are at Chapel Hill Cemetery in Osceola are that of a missing Michigan woman, according to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office.
Positive identification must still be made through DNA or dental records, the prosecutor’s office stated.
Michigan State police investigators have met with the family of Natily Franklin to discuss the case. She was reported missing back in November.
The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office released the following news release:
The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit (CMHU) has been receiving numerous inquiries as to whether or not the identity of the remains found on March 21, 2019 at the Chapel Hill Funeral Home/Cemetery property are those of Natily Nacole Franklin. Since November, the Michigan State Police have been investigating her disappearance. Locally, the MHU has assisted MSP in that investigation.
After the autopsy of the found body was conducted, MHU investigators and the MSP investigator met with the family of Natily Franklin to discuss the findings. While there are some strong indicators that the victim may be Natily Franklin, a positive identification must still be made through DNA and/or dental records. The victims’ remains have been sent to Indianapolis for an anthropological examination. DNA samples and dental x-rays will be taken during that examination and sent for further examination and comparison. When the results of that examination are concluded, the MHU will first notify the victim’s family and then publicly release the results.
The County Metro Homicide Unit would like to commend the Michigan State Police department for the extensive investigation into the disappearance of Natily Franklin’s disappearance.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.