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Two Dead in Accident in LaPorte County; Victim’s Family also Dead
Fire crews work to put out a vehicle fire after a crash on I-94 in LaPorte County Thursday morning.
There’s more to the story of an accident that killed two people on I-94 in LaPorte County this morning.
LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan told WKVI that one victim in the accident, 38-year-old Michael Van Der Linden of Belleville, Michigan was driving the wrong way on I-94 and hit a vehicle driven by 45-year-old Juan Nelson of Portage. The impact caused a fire that consumed both vehicles and left the bodies burned beyond recognition. Sullivan said the cause of death for both victims was blunt force trauma and thermal burns.
As Belleville, Michigan police attempted to notify the family of Michael Van Der Linden of the fatal accident, they observed the door to the family’s home open. When police entered the residence, they found that every member of Michael Van Der Linden’s family were murdered. His wife and children were found stabbed.
Investigators now are trying to piece together why Van Der Linden was in LaPorte County and if he is the suspect in the murder.
