Homicide victim identified in 1986 Monroe County cold case
Michigan authorities have identified a homicide victim whose remains were found in a wooded area in Monroe County in 1986.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said Thursday the victim was identified as Shaun Daniel Brauner, a Detroit man who was last seen by his family in June 1986. Brauner's remains were found on Oct. 17, 1986, after a resident reported finding possible skeletal remains in a wooded lot on Lewis Avenue in Ida, Michigan.
At the time of the discovery, investigators could only identify the remains as belonging to a white man between the ages of 35 and 45 years old.
Medical examiners ruled Brauner's death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head and ruled the death a homicide.
After exhausting all leads during their investigation, the sheriff's office sent samples of Brauner's remains to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification for DNA analysis in the fall of 2017. In March 2018, the center was able to extract a DNA sample and submitted the sample to the Combined DNA Index System, also known as CODIS.
In the fall of 2019, the case was reassigned to Detective Jeff Hooper, who worked with the Wayne County Medical Examiners Office in an attempt to identify the remains.
In 2021, the detective was notified by the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification that the National DNA Index System had made a possible association with a "family reference sample," which belonged to Brauner's sister. Hooper met a family member of Brauner, who told him that her brother had gone missing in June 1986.
In November 2024, Monroe County sheriff's detectives sent forensic evidence to Othram labs in The Woodlands, Texas. Scientists were able to produce a DNA extract from the skeletal remains and created a DNA profile using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing. The profile confirmed the relationship between Brauner and his family.
Brauner's remains were returned to his family.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
MCSO deputy recovering from injury while responding to ‘disturbances' at Ontario Beach Park
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A deputy was injured after fights broke out at Ontario Beach Park Wednesday night, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. Investigators said they responded to the area to help with reports of 'disturbances' breaking out in the large crowds. Ontario Beach Park hosted the first Concerts by the Shore Wednesday evening. Deputies said they became involved in an 'active crime' — where a deputy was then injured in the hand while he was taking a suspect into custody. The deputy's injury was treated. MCSO said the criminal investigation is ongoing. Stay with RochesterFirst for the latest. Check back with News 8 WROC as we will continue to update this developing story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
3 days ago
- CNN
Live updates: Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial; Bryana Bongolan and forensic video expert Frank Piazza to testify
Update: Date: 3 min ago Title: Witness Bryana Bongolan takes the stand Content: Assistant US Attorney Madison Smyser is questioning Bryana Bongolan for the government. Update: Date: 6 min ago Title: Surveillance video from 2016 hotel altercation reliably depicted what happened, video expert says Content: Forensic video expert Frank Piazza confirmed again that he believes the security videos that captured the 2016 hotel altercation between Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Cassie Ventura reliably depicted what happened that day. Update: Date: 7 min ago Title: Forensic video expert off the stand Content: Forensic video expert Frank Piazza is now off the stand. Update: Date: 12 min ago Title: Video expert explains why surveillance cameras don't all have matching time stamps Content: A video compilation of the 2016 altercation at the InterContinental Hotel used footage from a few surveillance cameras that showed different angles of the incident. Defense attorney Teny Geragos pointed out that the surveillance cameras don't all have the same time stamps. Forensic video expert Frank Piazza testified that the cameras were not linked to the same internal clock, but he said he was able to sync the footage based on overlapping events. Update: Date: 33 min ago Title: Forensic expert explains motion-activated cameras only update timestamps with distinct movement Content: Defense attorney Teny Geragos is reviewing the surveillance video clips, focusing on time codes that jump instead of advancing second by second in real time. She described the time code changes with phrases like 'jump' and 'missing time,' suggesting it almost appears as if the video's time was 'cut.' Forensic video expert Frank Piazza explained that motion triggers a time stamp change in this camera system. Although a person might be visible in the frame, the motion-activated cameras do not update the timestamp until they detect distinct movement, Piazza said. Update: Date: 47 min ago Title: Video expert says he got surveillance footage from prosecutors, but he doesn't know where they got it Content: Forensic video expert Frank Piazza said he received the surveillance footage of the 2016 InterContinental Hotel altercation from prosecutors. When asked, Piazza said that he didn't know where prosecutors got the footage. Update: Date: 1 hr 4 min ago Title: Jury is back from short break Content: Forensic video expert Frank Piazza is back on the stand. The jury is entering now. Defense attorney Teny Geragos is beginning cross-examination. Update: Date: 1 hr 20 min ago Title: Forensic video testifies that he enhanced sexually explicit videos recovered from laptop Content: Forensic video expert Frank Piazza testified that he enhanced 10 'sex videos' that were recovered from a laptop. Prosecutors said that Cassie Ventura turned the laptop over to the government. The videos — originally recorded in 2012 and 2014 — were recovered from the 'Frank Black' user profile on the laptop, prosecutor Madison Smyser said as she entered the videos into evidence under seal. Piazza also enhanced the audio on another sexually explicit video Smyser's direct-examination of Piazza is complete. Defense attorney Teny Geragos will cross-examine Piazza after a short break. Update: Date: 1 hr 27 min ago Title: Forensic video expert testifies video compilation reliably depicts hotel surveillance Content: The video compilation is finished. Forensic video expert Frank Piazza said the compilation used all the available footage he had. He confirmed that none of the videos showed signs of tampering and that they were reliable depictions of what the hotel's surveillance system captured. Update: Date: 1 hr 40 min ago Title: Prosecution will need to help guide jury through timeline of events due to scope of case, legal expert says Content: The scope of evidence presented by the prosecution in the racketeering conspiracy case against Sean 'Diddy' Combs spans many years, which could become confusing for the jury to follow , Sarah Krissoff, former US prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, said. Krissoff told CNN's Kate Bolduan the prosecution charged Combs with racketeering conspiracy 'so they could get all of that evidence in' and go 'way far back in time' and so they could prove 'conduct during a very wide span of time. The problem is that kind of confuses the jury, right?,' Krissoff explained. She noted the evidence being presented jumps through various points of time, so the government needs to draw up a timeline to help guide the jury. 'They're talking about an incident at this point, they're talking about an incident 10 years later, something six years before that,' Krissoff said. 'So, at the end of the day the government's really going to have to sort of draw a timeline for the jury here, and explain sort of the course of events because this is the first time the jury is hearing all these things. It is going to be very hard for them to really follow the timeline here without some more help from the government.' Update: Date: 1 hr 32 min ago Title: Jury watches a compilation of video clips Content: At the government's request, forensic video expert Frank Piazza compiled video clips to 'track the movement of individuals inside the events.' He inserted a black screen between clips to indicate when the camera angle or video clip changes. The jury is watching the compilation. Assistant US Attorney Madison Smyser is walking through the video compilation clip by clip, having Piazza describe the actions of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Cassie Ventura, and eventually security officer Israel Florez, who responded to the scene. Update: Date: 1 hr 48 min ago Title: Forensic video expert testifies InterContinental surveillance footage was not manually altered Content: Forensic video expert Frank Piazza testified that the surveillance footage of the March 5, 2016, incident recovered from the InterContinental Hotel system was not manually altered. He said he slowed the footage to real time because a technical file conversion process had inadvertently sped up the video. Piazza testified that the timestamps in the surveillance footage do not always accurately reflect the actual time of day. The jury is viewing the video for at least the eighth time since the trial began. Update: Date: 2 hr 12 min ago Title: Jury sees text messages of Combs directing his security guard to "stay on top of" Ventura Content: Before forensic video expert Frank Piazza took the stand, the jury saw messages between Combs and one of his security guards, called D-Roc, from September 2015. In those messages, Combs was directing D-Roc to talk to two people: A 'shorty' he referred to as 'G' and Cassie Ventura. Combs told D-Roc what to say, according to the messages read aloud in court. In one message, Combs told D-Roc to ask 'G' if they're broken up. Combs told D-Roc to act like Combs was serious and to inquire about what was happening, the messages showed. D-Roc responded and reported that she said Combs didn't want to talk to her anymore but that she still wanted to see him. In other messages, Combs asked what Ventura was doing and told D-Roc to 'stay on top of' her. Update: Date: 2 hr 15 min ago Title: Forensic video expert testifies he reviewed cell phone and surveillance video Content: Frank Piazza, a forensic audio and video editor, said he's being paid $295 per hour for his work on this case. The expert witness said he typically works with defense attorneys more often than prosecutors. Piazza said he does not have knowledge of the case itself but reviewed cell phone video, surveillance footage and 'sex videos.' Update: Date: 2 hr 29 min ago Title: Forensic video expert takes the stand Content: Frank Piazza is on the stand. Assistant US Attorney Madison Smyser is questioning Piazza for the government. Piazza is a forensic audio and video editor. Update: Date: 2 hr 41 min ago Title: Witness Bryana Bongolan will testify under an immunity order Content: Bryana Bongolan, who is expected to be called to the stand later today, has been brought into the courtroom to invoke her Fifth Amendment right to not self-incriminate. She'll testify under an immunity order like George Kaplan and Eddy Garcia. Judge Subramanian Arun will sign an immunity order compelling her to testify. Bongolan is expected to testify today after Frank Piazza, a forensic video expert. Update: Date: 3 hr 7 min ago Title: The judge is on the bench Content: Judge Arun Subramanian is on the bench, but the jury hasn't been brought in yet. Prosecutors and the defense are discussing the upcoming testimony of Bryana Bongolan. Update: Date: 3 hr 12 min ago Title: Judge rules that exhibits used during Jane's testimony won't be shown on video to protect her identity Content: The exhibits admitted into evidence during Jane's testimony will not be shown on the video feeds for the public. Jane — one of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' accusers who is using a pseudonym during his trial — is expected to take the stand later today. Judge Arun Subramanian granted the request yesterday from prosecutor Maurene Comey, who said it would help avoid the risk of Jane's identity being revealed. Comey said there's going to be a significant amount of exhibits, including text message threads shown to the jury during her testimony. Update: Date: 1 hr 47 min ago Title: Key testimony from Combs' accusers in court so far Content: As additional testimony from one of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' accusers is expected in court today, here's a reminder of the testimony we've heard so far from other accusers, including Combs' former girlfriend Cassie Ventura and a former employee under the pseudonym 'Mia.' Combs is facing charges including racketeering, conspiracy and sex trafficking and if convicted he could face up to life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty. • Cassie Ventura's testimony: Ventura answered questions for nearly 20 hours over four days toward the start of the trial. She testified about threats, drug use, and violence — including an alleged rape – she was subjected to throughout her relationship with Combs. She told the court about alleged drug-fueled sex performances, known as 'Freak Offs,' that Combs would organize and she would participate in. Legal experts say while there are still more witnesses slated to take the stand, Ventura's testimony is foundational. • Ex-employee 'Mia' testimony: The former employee testified for three days and recounted multiple alleged incidents of physical, emotional and sexual abuse by Combs. The court heard she sent loving messages to Combs in recent years, which she explained by saying she was still under Combs' grip 'psychologically' and was 'brainwashed.' Under cross-examination, she said she did not initially tell investigators or federal prosecutors that Combs sexually assaulted her. Update: Date: 1 hr 2 min ago Title: Prosecutors continue presenting their case today. Here's how a trial works Content: We're in the fourth week of the federal criminal trial for Sean 'Diddy' Combs in New York, where the music mogul faces charges that include racketeering conspiracy, transportation to engage in prostitution and sex trafficking, crimes that the government claims spanned over two decades. Combs has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations of wrongdoing. The trial is estimated to last eight weeks –– although prosecutors have indicated that they may rest their case earlier which could move up the timeline –– before the jury is asked to render a verdict. As a primer for how this unfolds, here are the steps in a federal criminal trial:
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Albany man receives two life sentences for 1988 cold case rape and kidnapping
The Brief Reginald Colwell was sentenced to two life terms plus 20 years for kidnapping, raping, and assaulting a woman in a 1988 cold case. The conviction was based on DNA evidence from a preserved sexual assault kit, matched to Colwell in 2019 through a federal initiative. Colwell's life sentences are subject to 1988 parole eligibility guidelines due to the crime's occurrence date. DECATUR, Ga. - An Albany man has been sentenced to two life terms plus 20 years in prison after being convicted of kidnapping, raping, and assaulting a woman in a 1988 cold case, prosecutors announced Tuesday. A DeKalb County jury on May 20 found 58-year-old Reginald Colwell guilty on charges of kidnapping, rape, and aggravated assault for the December 30, 1988, attack. Superior Court Judge Gregory A. Adams, who presided over the trial, handed down the sentence on Tuesday, ordering the terms to be served consecutively. The backstory According to investigators, the 20-year-old victim reported the rape to DeKalb County Police after being attacked while leaving her apartment on Weatherly Drive in unincorporated Stone Mountain. As she locked the front door, a man wearing a ski mask held a knife to her throat and forced her into nearby woods, where he sexually assaulted her and threatened to kill her if she resisted. The victim fled to a nearby neighborhood once the attacker ran off, and a resident helped her call her boyfriend, who took her to the police station. Officers recovered her purse and other items scattered in the woods and transported her to Grady Memorial Hospital for a sexual assault examination. Although DNA testing was not available at the time, the sexual assault kit was preserved by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. In 2015, DeKalb County joined a federally funded effort through the Bureau of Justice Assistance's National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), which aimed to process long-untested rape kits. In 2019, testing from the victim's case produced a CODIS match to Colwell. A court-ordered DNA sample confirmed the match. Prosecutors said Colwell had been living in DeKalb County at the time of the attack. What's next Because the crime occurred in 1988, Colwell's life sentences fall under the parole eligibility guidelines in place at the time. The Source The DeKalb County District Attorney's Office provided the details on the case. The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office provided the mug shot and arrest record.
