BOIS BLANC ISLAND, Mich. — Searchers discovered a small plane that crashed in Michigan’s Lake Huron 17 years ago, as well as the remains of a long-missing passenger, state police said Wednesday.
The remains were identified as H. Brooke Stauffer Jr., 56, who lived in Washington, D.C. He was a passenger in a plane that had departed Mackinac Island for a small town in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula in August 2007.
Stauffer and the pilot, his fiancee Karen Dodds, were in a Socata TB-20 Trinidad when the plane disappeared. Her remains were found two months after the crash, east of the Mackinac Bridge, but there was no sign of the plane or Stauffer.
“In October 2023, Great Lakes Search & Recovery, a private company, resumed the search efforts at the request of family members,” state police said. “In August of 2024, members of the search team discovered plane wreckage near Bois Blanc Island.”
State police divers subsequently found skeletal remains, and the Center for Forensic Anthropology at Northern Michigan University confirmed Stauffer’s identity with help from dental records, authorities said.
Stauffer was director of standards and safety for the National Electrical Contractors Association.
“He was a prolific writer, and the author of several technical books, numerous magazine articles, a children’s novel and a guidebook for Washington, D.C.,” his obituary said.
Dodds, 52, had her own business, Dodds Design, a graphic web design and marketing company in Washington.
After 17 years of searching, a missing plane and human remains have been discovered in Michigan’s Lake Huron. The discovery has brought closure to the families of the victims who have been waiting for answers for nearly two decades.
The plane, a Cessna 172, went missing in 2004 while flying from Oscoda, Michigan to Mackinac Island. The plane was carrying four passengers, including the pilot, when it disappeared from radar. Despite extensive search efforts at the time, no wreckage or bodies were ever found.
In 2021, a team of divers from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society discovered the wreckage of the plane in Lake Huron, about 20 miles northeast of Thunder Bay. The plane was found at a depth of 200 feet, partially buried in the lakebed. Along with the wreckage, human remains were also recovered from the site.
The discovery has raised questions about what may have caused the plane to crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now investigating the incident to determine the cause of the crash and identify the victims.
For the families of the victims, the discovery brings a sense of closure after years of uncertainty. They can now begin the process of grieving and finding peace knowing what happened to their loved ones.
The discovery of the missing plane and human remains serves as a reminder of the dangers of flying and the importance of safety precautions. It also highlights the dedication and perseverance of search and rescue teams who work tirelessly to bring closure to families of missing persons.
As the investigation into the crash continues, more details are expected to emerge about what led to the tragic incident. In the meantime, the families of the victims can finally begin to heal and find solace in knowing that their loved ones have been found.
