DEFIANCE, Ohio (WLIO) - The body of a missing Michigan woman was found in Defiance.
The Defiance Police Department says that on Monday, May 26th, they received a call for a dog that had been left unattended in a vehicle. They figured out that the vehicle belonged to 57-year-old Kristin Bates, who was reported as missing or endangered out of Boyne City, Michigan. The police department issued a BOLO call for Bates and opened an investigation.
On the evening of Tuesday, May 27th, a fisherman reported that he had discovered a body on an island near Riverside Park. The body was recovered and identified as Bates.
The cause of death is under investigation and the body will be sent to the Lucas County Coroner's Office for an autopsy.
May 28, 2025, Press Release from the Defiance Police Department:
On 5/26/2025 at approximately 10:41AM, the Defiance Police Department responded to 925 S. Clinton Street for a report of a dog that was left unattended in a vehicle. It was learned that the vehicle belonged to a missing/endangered person out of Boyne City, Michigan. The Defiance Police Department then issued a BOLO for the missing person and opened an investigation to assist with locating the endangered person.
On 5/27/2025 at approximately 8:00PM, the Defiance County E-911 Center took a call from a fisherman who was reporting a body on an island near Riverside Park. With assistance from the Defiance County Sheriff’s Office, the Defiance Fire Department, and the Defiance County Coroners Office, the body was recovered and identified as 57 year old Kristin Bates, the missing person out of Boyne City, Michigan.
The case of death is under investigation pending an autopsy by the Lucas County Coroner’s Office.
