DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit police, alongside state and federal agencies, are conducting a multi-day search in the Pingree Park neighborhood for a missing persons investigation.
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According to Rebecca McKay, the major crimes commander for Detroit police, the search is part of Operation Block. The department has partnered with local, state and federal agencies to search for any missing persons that are in the area.
Hear more from Cmdr. Rebecca McKay in the video below:
McKay said that they will be going through vacant lots and vacant homes to look for any signs of missing persons in the area. They're kicking it off in May because it's National Missing and Unidentified Persons Month.
"I would say that we don’t give up. I say that we continue to search," McKay said. "We continue to do everything that we can. We follow up on every single lead that we receive. We will continue to do that until we are able to bring loved ones home to their family."
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According to McKay, they plan to search about 25 vacant homes and more vacant lots in an eight-block-by-four-block area in the Pingree Park neighborhood.
According to the department, the missing persons case of 32-year-old Shanika Brewer in April 2023 prompted them to search this area as part of the operation.
"It's just heartbreaking to know that she's still out there somewhere," Brewer's aunt Deborah Hawkins said. "I just pray that she comes home. That's all. And that she'll be found... that she'd be found."
Police searched an empty home just two doors down from were Brewer lived. Her uncle, Anthony Dawson, watched as K-9 units canvassed the property. He had no idea they were looking for his niece.
"It’s three years and I’m glad they’re still looking for her. Bring closure to the family," Dawson said.
City crews are boarding up and securing homes after police search and clear them.
McKay said that the operation will go through October and they'll be searching other lots and homes in different areas across the city until then.
"We may go through this all today and never find a person out here, but we're trying, and I think that's the most important part about this is we're trying to find these loved ones and bring them back to their families," Michigan State Police 1st Lt. Mike Shaw said.
