No evidence ties to previous Oakland County Child Killer suspect; grand jury term expired

PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) - The 7 Action News Investigators were the first to report that a grand jury was investigating a new suspect in the Oakland County Child Killings.

Now the Oakland County Prosecutor is confirming that a previous highly publicized suspect is not the focus of this investigation.

Between 1976 and 1977 four Oakland County children were abducted, held for days and murdered.  After years of dead ends, the Oakland County Child Killer case has been heating up in recent weeks.

As 7 Action News was the first to report in May, the grand jury was looking at a new suspect who’s still alive.

Before that news – most of the discussions among the victims’ family members focused on this convicted pedophile – Christopher Brian Busch. Busch is no longer living – according to police reports, he killed himself in 1978.

Now the Oakland County prosecutor is talking publicly about Busch, and why he’s no longer a focus of the investigation.

"In terms of the evidence that we have reviewed, there’s nothing that has a direct connection,” Jessica Cooper told 7 Action News Investigator Heather Catallo.

Cooper says the genetic material evidence that investigators have reviewed doesn’t point to Busch.

“In terms of any testing that may have been done, on any specific articles, they did not come back to Mr. Busch,” said Cooper.

Sources tell the 7 Action News Investigators that the term of the Oakland County grand jury has expired, and it’s no longer actively hearing evidence in the case. We’ve also learned no new requests for funding have been submitted to the county executive’s office to impanel another grand jury.

Bound by grand jury laws, Cooper won’t talk about what she has on the new suspect that’s come to light.

“Are you actively preparing to prosecute someone right now,” asked Catallo.

“I’m not able to comment one way or another,” said Cooper.

Family members of the victims tell me they are grateful that detectives and prosecutors are still hard at work on this case – and they hope that it can be solved soon.