Dead woman discovered in back of teen's truck after small fender bender: Report

A recent fender bender in Michigan turned out to be anything but minor.

On the afternoon of Oct. 27, Stephen Freeman, 19, was driving his pickup truck around Roseville, Michigan, a city located about 20 miles north of Detroit, when he accidentally ran into the back end of a semi. No one appeared to be injured in the small crash, but police quickly became alarmed when Freeman exited his vehicle and attempted to flee the scene on foot.

Police managed to apprehend Freeman eventually. While they conducted a routine inspection of his vehicle, they discovered in the truck bed the dead body of 62-year-old Gabrielle Seitz of Shelby Township, a city about another 15 miles north.

Investigators believe that Seitz was already dead when the crash occurred. She was found with a shoelace around her neck, which suggests strangulation. However, a cause of death has yet to be determined.

In the meantime, police arrested Freeman and charged him with concealing the death of an individual and receiving and concealing stolen property, both felonies that carry a sentence of five years. Prosecutors requested that he be held on a $250,000 bond, but the judge instead assessed a bond of $75,000 with no 10 percent cash deposit. The judge determined that Freeman could not be assessed a bond at murder level without a murder charge. Should the charges be amended, the bond may be adjusted as well, he ruled.

"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.

A probable cause conference has already been scheduled for Nov. 9 and a preliminary examination for Nov. 16.

Authorities are still trying to determine a connection between Freeman and Seitz. Some reports indicated that Freeman may have lived with Seitz, who supposedly kicked Freeman out of the residence for abusive behavior. However, Seitz's son said that his mother had lived alone and that he did not recognize the person believed to be Freeman.

"I have no idea who that kid is," said Justin Omans, Seitz's son. "No one doesn't know who that kid is. I know someone probably does, out there that knows him, but personally, not me."

Omans also stated that his mother had been "best friends" with his fiancée. It is unclear whether the fiancée, whose name has not been given, has ever heard of Freeman.

Omans told reporters that Seitz's death has devastated his family.

"In the last few days, it's been horrible. It's been a nightmare," he said. "Couldn't sleep. Just crying constantly."

"I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, like, why?'" he added. "This is not supposed to happen to her. Not like this."