Human remains were found in a backyard fire pit at a missing Pennsylvania man's home, and graffiti was found inside, state police said.
Michael Maisner, 66, was reported missing by family who last saw him on March 27, state police said on April 14, and human remains were found earlier this week behind his Summit Township home in Erie County.
Law enforcement enlisted the services of the Mercyhurst University's Forensic Science Department to help identify the remains, according to Erie News Now, which broke the story.
Meanwhile, a woman is being questioned for Maisner's disappearance after law enforcement found his 2014 Cadillac about 40 miles away in Chautauqua County, New York, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
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Marisa Rodriguez, 35, was arrested in connection with the stolen vehicle and extradited back to Erie County, Pennsylvania, Erie News Now reported.
Maisner's family allegedly told police that Rodriguez was living in Maisner's attic at the time he went missing, according to the local news outlet.
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Police reportedly confirmed that Rodriguez partially lived in Maisner's home, and some of her personal belongings were found inside, investigators told Erie News Now.
The bones found in the fire pit were torched, which is where Mercyhurst University Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat and the Erie County Coroner come in.
"We were involved in the recovery and so what we try to do for all of these scenes is try to figure out what happened here," Mercyhurst University Forensic Science Department chairman Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat told Erie News Now.
"When we respond to those, we document the scene very carefully. We note where everything is located."
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Dr. Dirkmaat said DNA plays a crucial role in cases like this where "fragments or an incomplete body" are the only traces of evidence.
As of Friday, Rodriguez was facing any charges connected to Maisner's disappearance, and the remains have not definitively been identified.
Pennsylvania State Police said the case is a death investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call Pennslvania State Police's Erie Station at 814-898-161 or anonymously contact the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477).
