Detroit police search vacant incinerator property for missing teen

DETROIT/GROSSE POINTE FARMS — The former incinerator parcel for the Grosse Pointes-Clinton Refuse Disposal Authority is usually a tranquil spot — vacant since the incinerator ceased operations in 1999 and was demolished in 2001, the 64-acre parcel in the area of 14 Mile Road and Interstate 94 in Clinton Township is popular with wildlife.

But it became a hub of activity March 6, when the Detroit Police Department and the Michigan State Police searched the property for a missing teenage girl from Detroit’s east side. Multiple Detroit media outlets reported that police were searching for 13-year-ol Na’Ziyah Harris, who Crime Stoppers said went missing sometime after getting off a school bus at Cornwall Street and Three Mile Drive on Jan. 9.

During a March 12 GPCRDA Board meeting in Grosse Pointe Farms, GPCRDA Attorney John Gillooly said he was contacted by the homicide division of the Detroit Police Department about their desire to visit the property after a tip led them to believe the teen might be there.

“They couldn’t tell us what led them to a search of that property,” Gillooly said of the case, which remained under investigation at press time because the teen still hadn’t been located.

Gillooly told the board their cooperation in allowing the search “was very much appreciated.” He said police used a dog and helicopter during the sweep of the heavily wooded parcel. Gillooly said Clinton Township officials were notified about the search, since it took place in their community.

While the missing girl wasn’t found, some other people were.

“They found two brothers who had set up an encampment on the property,” Gillooly said.

The campers were promptly kicked out because they were trespassing.

“On and off there’s been campers on the site,” GPCRDA Board Chair Terry Brennan said after the meeting. “It’s something that we’re regularly watching out for.”

Over the years, the GPCRDA Board has had to authorize multiple repairs of the locked chain-link fence that surrounds the parcel. Once again, it appears that trespassers have cut holes in the fence to gain access to the land, which is popular with anglers because of a lake on the property. However, besides the fact that the property is privately owned by the municipalities that make up the GPCRDA, there are also concerns about the safety of anyone who might illegally visit the site.

Gillooly recognized that the reason for the police search was “certainly a tragic situation,” and Brennan agreed.

“They did a thorough search,” Brennan said. “We all are hoping that she’s found safe.”