By PAUL GRONDAHL, Staff writer Last updated: 3:09 p.m., Thursday, April 16, 2009
ROTTERDAM - Human skeletal remains were found this morning near the Mohawk River off Rice Road and Rotterdam police are working to identify the person.
There is no indication of foul play and it appeared that the remains had been in the wooded area, roughly 75 yards from river's edge, for several years, said Deputy Chief Bill Manikas. Investigators could not immediately determine the sex or age of the deceased.
A person walking along the river called the Schenectady County Sheriff's Department to report the discovery at 8:15 a.m.
ROTTERDAM Human remains found near river Old DNA can be used to identify missing persons
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
Police said a human skeleton was found in woods off Rice Road near the Mohawk River Thursday and they are treating the discovery as a homicide. Rotterdam Deputy Chief Bill Manikas said police have not determined the cause of death, so the protocol is to conduct a homicide investigation. “We’re investigating it at this point,” he said. Manikas said a man spotted the skeleton in a wooded area off the bike path shortly before 8:15 a.m. He said the remains were not a full skeleton and had been in the woods for “a substantial period of time.” The gender of the skeleton is unknown, Manikas said. He said the body, which was partially clothed, did not have an identification. “There was some clothing recovered,” he said. “But at this point, we have no ID of the body.” Manikas said anyone with information about the remains should call 355-7397. Rotterdam detectives are working with the state police Forensic Identifi - cation Unit and the Troop G Major Crimes Unit in the investigation. Lauren LaFleur of the Center for Human Identification at the University of North Texas said science can identify people from DNA that is several years old. “As long as there is recoverable DNA and a family member provides DNA, a match can be found,” she said. The center has worked with law enforcement agencies across the United States and is the only academic institution devoted to missing persons identification. LaFleur did not know if local officials have contacted the center for assistance, and would not be able to comment if they did. LaFleur said police can upload the DNA sample into a national database, called the national Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, to find a match. For a match to occur, however, a family member has to have provided a DNA sample as well. “Any family member from across the United States who has someone who is missing can submit a DNA sample free of charge,” she said. The genetic profile can determine gender but its prime purpose is to “put a name to that person and find out who they belong to,” LaFleur said. The process can take several days, if the DNA sample is good, to several months, LaFleur said. If there is no family marker, a sample can remain in the system for years, she said. Last week, relatives of 16 missing people gave DNA samples through New York’s Department of Criminal Justice Services for the national database. The Center for Human Identification is processing the samples. “We are one of three institutions in the United States that can upload information into the CODIS,” LaFleur said. Mary Lyall, whose daughter Suzanne Lyall went missing in 1998, said the discovery of the skeleton can bring relief but also more questions. “It is finally an answer to a question for a lot of people who have someone missing. If it happens to be a missing person, there is one door closed, but there is always the question of how it happened,” she said. Lyall said she and her husband want to find their daughter. And any news they can receive is helpful. “I never say the word closure. For me there is never going to be closure. If you find your loved one you will always wonder what happened,” she said. Here is a list of known missing persons from the Capital Region: ...............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar00902
By PAUL GRONDAHL, Staff writer First published in print: Saturday, April 18, 2009
ROTTERDAM — Investigators continued to comb missing-person cases and field calls Friday from family members with missing relatives a day after human bones were found near the Mohawk River off Rice Road.
Town detectives are awaiting the results of State Police forensic tests to determine the age and sex of the person, who had been dead for at least a few years based on the decomposition, police said. The skeletal remains were not intact, but no further description was given.
"We're trying to be sensitive to the families with missing loved ones calling us, hoping for some closure," Rotterdam Police Deputy Chief Bill Manikas said,
A walker found the remains early Thursday morning just off the bike path in a wooded area about 75 yards from river's edge. The bones were in plain sight, Manikas said.
The site is just west of the Rotterdam Square Mall along Interstate 890. It has been known as a place where homeless people have congregated in tents and shanties in years past, Manikas said.
Forensics results are not expected for days and perhaps more than a week, Manikas said. Anyone with information should call Rotterdam detectives at 355-7397.
By DAVID FILKINS, Staff writer Last updated: 2:53 p.m., Saturday, April 18, 2009
ROTTERDAM The skeletal remains found Thursday near the Mohawk River off Rice Road have been identified Ernest P. Michalik, a Schenectady man who was 58 when reported missing in November 2005.
Police said the cause of death has not been determined and the investigation is ongoing.
The remains were discovered Thursday at 8:15 a.m. about 75 yards from the river's edge. At the time of the discovery, police said the remains had been in the area for several years and that there were no signs of foul play..............http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=791464
By DAVID FILKINS, Staff writer First published in print: Sunday, April 19, 2009
ROTTERDAM — Ernest P. Michalik, the man whose skeletal remains were found Thursday near the Mohawk River off Rice Road, came from a small town farm and is remembered as being intelligent but a little antisocial.
Laurence Michalik, 64, of Fort Plain, Ernest's older brother, said the family was not surprised to learn that Ernest had died. He had been missing for so many years that they had already assumed that something must have happened to him.
"He'd been disappeared for so long and there was no word," said Laurence, who last saw his brother five or six years ago. "It's not really a surprise unless they find out it was foul play."
Rotterdam police have not yet determined the cause of death and the investigation is ongoing. At the time of the discovery, police said the remains had been in the area for several years and that there were no signs of foul play.
Michalik, who would be 62-years old, grew up on a farm and lived there most of his life. His parents moved to Fort Plain in 1949, when he was two-years old, to run their dairy farm. Laurence said his younger brother, who they called 'Ernie,' was a little anti-social and possibly autistic, though he was never officially diagnosed.
"He didn't get along with anyone, not even his family," Laurence said. Michalik also has a younger sister, Katherine, 59, of Fort Plain. "His whole life he kept apart from us."
At the time of his disappearance, Schenectady police put out a release noting that Michalik was "a loner who had no known friends."
About 10 years ago, Laurence said, Ernest decided he didn't want to live on a farm anymore and moved to Schenectady. His family helped him move into the YMCA at 13 State St., where he was last seen in October 2005. Laurence said his brother held a couple of jobs in Schenectady, including one at a butcher shop, but he was laid off or out of work at the time he disappeared.
The last time Ernest's family saw him was five or six years ago when he came with a friend to get more of his belongings.
"This guy was an acquaintance of his, so I guess he had made a few friends out there," Laurence said. "I understand he had started going to a church, which was certainly a new thing for him."
Michalik's family found out he had gone missing about six weeks after he was last seen at the YMCA on October 26, Laurence said. An employee at the YMCA called to say that Michalik's mail had been piling up and he hadn't paid his bills — something Laurence said his brother was always good at.
As time went by and there was still no word, the family began to assume the worst. Still, Laurence said, they cleared out the rest of Michalik's belongings and were storing them in case he returned.
Classmates of Michalik, who graduated from Fort Plain High School in 1965, were sad to hear the news.
"I was afraid it might be him," said Helmut Deeg, a classmate who hadn't seen Michalik since graduation. "He didn't really mingle too much with things going on at the school, but he was a good kid."
Deeg said Michalik was particularly good in science.
Autopsy results inconclusive on skeletal remains ROTTERDAM — Authorities said an autopsy performed on the skeletal remains discovered in a wooded area near the bicycle trail off Rice Road last week has proven inconclusive. Police Lt. Michael Brown said the medical examiner performing the autopsy on the body of Ernest Michalik, 58, could not determine the cause of death. He said investigators are still trying to figure out whether foul play was involved in his death, but are no closer to an answer. “The remains aren’t going to tell us,” he said Monday. “There’s nothing to lead us in any direction right now.” Brown said the autopsy also failed to determine a time of death for Michalik. He was reported missing in October 2005 and last seen in the vicinity of State Street and Washington Avenue in Schenectady, walking away from the YMCA. Family members were not surprised by Michalik’s demise and suspect he met with foul play. They described him as being disconnected with the family and having a bad temper.
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