Muskegon Woman Files For Divorce After Frightening Allegations
It’s important that married couples are honest with each other. Many divorces stem from some form of dishonesty, whether it relates to infidelity or otherwise. One woman in West Michigan’s Muskegon County says that her husband withheld a significant amount of information from her. The woman’s divorce attorney says that her husband “accumulated significant personal property which he hid from his wife.” Unlike many cases of dishonesty through omission, the woman’s husband is being charged with murder and kidnapping.
Did Multiple Charges Lead To Divorce?
A Muskegon man has been arrested for kidnapping. He is separately being charged with murder and child abduction, among other things. The aforementioned Muskegon woman was his wife. However, she filed for divorce a month after his recent kidnapping charges. She has remained mostly silent about the charges against her husband, and has asked that she be allowed to return to her maiden name.
What Are The Charges?
The alleged kidnapper is a person of interest in the murder of a local woman. This woman’s body was found in 2014 along her regular jogging route. The man was charged with her murder around the same time he was charged with the kidnapping of different woman. She had gone missing a year earlier while working at a gas station near the man’s home. He is also being charged with attempting to kidnap a teenage girl.
Searching For Evidence
Local police have been working from of an anonymous tip they received. This tip led Michigan State Police to search an abandoned railroad track near the man’s home. However, the search yielded no evidence. The man’s case is still ongoing, but it seems the only incriminating facts of his case are his impending divorce and whatever information the police received from their anonymous tip.
Muskegon’s Dark Problem
Muskegon has recently been in the news concerning the prevalence of sex trafficking in the area. Malachi Barrett wrote a long article about several women from the area who have come forward as being victims of trafficking. According to Barrett’s research, since 2007 there have been over a thousand victims in Michigan. Since the beginning of the year, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center has already received 244 calls concerning trafficking in Michigan. The Hope Project, a local organization dedicated to helping survivors, is supporting victims of trafficking.
Awareness in West Michigan
Although the Muskegon man’s case is not directly related to any sort of trafficking, the allegations against him seem to be of a similar nature. Even if he is shown to be not guilty, someone else may have committed these crimes. The county seems to be facing a tough time regarding crimes against women. As Muskegon cracks down on these crimes, it is important that the victims and their families are supported by Grand Rapids and neighboring cities.
Distance From The Accused
As is shown in Barrett’s article, some women choose to remain anonymous while for others choose openness as their path to survival. In the case of the woman married to the Muskegon man, she has chosen to separate herself from her husband. MLive reported that, “In the complaint, the wife says nothing about the trouble he’s facing, only that there’s been a breakdown in the marriage.” She has also chosen not to reveal she was abused or not. In many cases, divorce is viewed as a negative thing but, in this case, it may be one woman’s path to healing.
Barrett, M. (2016, June 23). Sex-trafficking Survivor: ‘They Told Me It Would Happen Over And Over.’ MLive. Retrieved on June 23, 2016, from http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/06/human_trafficking_survivor_sto.html
(2016, June 17). Tip Led To Search Near Willis’ Home For Jessica Heeringa. Wood TV 8. Retrieved on June 23, 2016, from http://woodtv.com/2016/06/17/neighbor-police-searched-land-near-jeffrey-willis-home/
