KALKASKA -- Patrick Wilson wasn't overly familiar with David DeJonge, but knew his daughter trusted the downstate man and relied on him for support.
Wilson met DeJonge a few times in the past, and he was shocked to discover DeJonge, of Bloomfield Township, is suspected of killing and dismembering his eldest daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Wilson.
"He said that Sarah was like a little sister to him," Wilson, 58, said. "Apparently, that was all a lie."
Kalkaska County Prosecutor Brian Donnelly charged DeJonge with an open count of murder and mutilation of a body Wednesday. DeJonge, 44, is being held in the Oakland County Jail on unrelated charges.
Police found Wilson's torso in a swampy area near Mecum Road in Kalkaska County's Oliver Township May 22. Her parents reported her missing May 12 after she didn't arrive at their Big Rapids home for a Mother's Day visit, Wilson said.
Sarah Wilson, 26, knew DeJonge for several years and lived with him in Bloomfield Township, Patrick Wilson said. DeJonge was supposed to drop her off in Big Rapids before continuing on to a cabin his family owns in Kalkaska County's Orange Township.
Investigators later found what they believe to be Wilson's blood on multiple items in the cabin, Donnelly said. They eventually located her remains after matching a set of tire tracks in the cabin's driveway to vehicle tracks near the edge of Mecum Road, Donnelly said. The tracks on Mecum were noticeably close to the edge of the road, and police found Wilson's remains nearby.
Portions of her body are still missing, Donnelly said.
"It's horrible beyond description," Donnelly said. "What's more horrible is the predicament of her parents and her brother and her sister ... their lives are intertwined with this now forever."
Investigators aren't entirely sure of a motive, Donnelly said.
"The closest thing that I can come up with ... is that she was apparently making plans to part company with him and return (to live with her parents)," Donnelly said.
Patrick Wilson said his daughter wasn't in a romantic relationship with DeJonge, but relied on him for housing and other support. She was a recovering alcoholic who was searching for a job, he said.
DeJonge spent about four years on probation with the Michigan Department of Corrections after a 2004 conviction for assault with intent to commit a felony, records show.
Investigators believe DeJonge left the area and returned multiple times after the crime, Donnelly said, and they think the torso was moved at least once. Wilson's death likely occurred near the cabin, police believe.
DeJonge was arrested near Grand Rapids on an unrelated drug possession warrant from the Auburn Hills Police Department and has been in custody there since May 21. Officials hope to have him in Kalkaska County to be arraigned on the murder and mutilation charges by Friday, Donnelly said.
Patrick Wilson said his daughter was articulate, funny and charming. Her family has endured a "roller-coaster ride" of emotion since she went missing, he said.
The charges bring a measure of relief, Patrick Wilson said.
"We know that this guy's not going to be out on the street doing this to some other woman," he said.
Sarah Wilson leaves behind a 3 -year-old son, Patrick Wilson said. The son lives with his father in the Grand Rapids area.
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