Michigan teen charged after woman found dead in his truck following hit-and-run crash

Stephen Freeman, 19, reportedly took off on foot after police said he the truck he was driving hit a tractor-trailer

A 19-year-old from Michigan was arrested after a brief manhunt after police made the grisly discovery of a dead body inside the truck he’d fled in a hit-and-run.

Stephen Lee Freeman was arrested on Sunday after police circulated photos of him fleeing the scene of a minor collision in Roseville, Michigan, about 15 miles northwest of Detroit.

While officers were responding to the site of what at first appeared to be a hit-and-run, they quickly changed gears in their hunt for the driver after they discovered the dead body of 62-year-old Gabrielle Seitz in the bed of the truck.

The woman’s cause of death has yet to be determined, the medical examiner’s office said, but when her body was found, she had what authorities describe as “clear” signs of strangulation.

“Because the investigation is ongoing we are limited on what can be said at this time. However, when we have additional information from the investigation we will be updating everyone,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido.

County Assistant Prosecutor Steve Fox said in a news release from the office that Seitz had a shoelace around her neck and “obvious signs of strangulation” and added that Mr Freeman is now a person of interest in the investigation into the 62-year-old’s death.

Because the connection between the 19-year-old and the dead woman is still unclear, Mr Freeman is instead facing one count each of concealing the death of an individual and receiving and concealing stolen property, a motor vehicle. Both felonies, if convicted, could land the defendant a five-year sentence, according to 39th District Court officials in Roseville.

Gabrielle Seitz, 62, was found dead in the back of a pickup truck that was reportedly being driven by 19-year-old Stephen Freeman on Thursday. Her cause of death is presently unknown (GoFundMe)

At his arraignment on Tuesday, District Judge Alyia Marie Hakim set the bond for the teen at $75,000 cash but said that if he was able to pay it, that it would only be permitted with conditions.

“At this time those are not high-level felonies,” she said, highlighting the charges the 19-year-old was facing.

The attorney for Mr Freeman noted during the hearing that his client had no criminal record and was not working but had family in the Lexington area. He noted that Mr Freeman had suffered from depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, and asked for a referral to community corrections.

Stephen Freeman, 19, was charged with concealing the death of an individual and receiving and concealing stolen property (Macomb County Jail)

The investigation into Seitz’s death and whether there is any connection with the teen is still ongoing, but the dead woman’s eldest son has stated that his mother did not know the man who was driving with her dead body in the trunk.

“You know my mom. You know she wouldn’t have some guy coming up to her place,” said Justin Omans in an interview with WDIV .

“She was the sweetest person alive that everyone loved,” said Mr Omans in a separate interview with WXYZ. He said he and his family are deeply hurt from what they’re seeing and reading in the news about their mother’s death, making it difficult for them to go anywhere without hearing about it.

“We couldn’t be on Facebook, we couldn’t watch the news at all because of everything going on,” Mr Omans said, adding that he would like to see justice served for his mother’s memory.

If Mr Freeman can post bail, the judge added conditions that he must wear a GPS tether prior to release and referred him to community corrections for a mental health program.

A probable cause conference is set for 9 November and a preliminary exam is for 16 November.