Antrim County
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Probe into Sam Avery death continues
ELK RAPIDS -- Authorities could soon decide whether or not to issue criminal charges in the death of an Elk Rapids teen.
Sam Avery, 16, died of a single gunshot wound to the head in his U.S. 31 home on Nov. 7, 2007. Authorities never said if the death was a homicide or suicide, and they remain tight-lipped after nearly a year and a half of investigation.
Antrim County Prosecutor Charles Koop said the bulk of forensic reports and other tests were finally delivered to his office this week after months of waiting. He has thousands of pages to look through before making a charging decision, he said.
"I'm reading through four four-inch binders," he said.
Elk Rapids Police Chief Michael Miles said Koop now has a forensic pathologist's report on the death, but Miles wouldn't provide details.
"I'm not going there," he said. "We've submitted our reports, (Koop) makes the decision."
Police never publicly named a suspect in the case, but friends and family of Avery's mother, Anne Avery-Miller, said police consider her a suspect.
The investigation has been the talk of the Elk Rapids community for months. Police have twice searched Avery-Miller's home as part of the Sam Avery death investigation, and other twists have drawn further attention to the case.
Avery-Miller, 38, spent three months in jail last year on a larceny conviction tied to a 2004 insurance fraud case. Before that, she was the subject of a large public search when she disappeared from her Elk Rapids home.
She went missing for about four weeks in January and February last year, leading local authorities and her friends and family on a lengthy search. She eventually turned herself in to face the larceny charge and revealed she traveled to a women's shelter in Nevada.
Miles said her disappearance slowed the Sam Avery death investigation.
Avery-Miller declined comment through her attorney's office. Deb Zerafa, wife and legal assistant to Avery-Miller's attorney, Richard Zerafa, accused Koop of unfairly targeting Avery-Miller.
"If he can find something in there to convict her, he will," Zerafa said.
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Mancelona Bass Festival schedule
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Mancelona biomass plant awaits utility deal
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519,000 dollars to be spent fixing M-66
