Where was Kevin Graves found? Remains of missing Detroit man found six years after disappearance

Kevin Graves, a 28-year-old man from Oakland County, Michigan, went missing on July 1, 2018, at the Electric Forest Music and Art Festival in Rothbury, Michigan. Six years after his disappearance, state police reported that his remains were recently located in a wooded region near Rothbury, bringing renewed attention to the case.

The human remains were discovered on Monday in a wooded area near the Double JJ Ranch, northwest of Rothbury, and were identified by Western Michigan University's Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, using dental records. Alongside the remains, Kevin Graves’ wallet and phone were also recovered, raising even more questions for his family, reported News 8. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of death, but Michigan State Police stated there are no signs of foul play at this time.

His sister, Kellie Graves, expressed her frustration, saying:

“It was 100 yards from his campsite and hunters found human remains, I think his clothes were still there and they found his wallet and cell phone as well … My question is where was this six years ago when we said he didn’t just run away? I mean they could have pulled phone records they could’ve pinged his phone. We would not have had to wait 6.5 years for this and it’s really frustrating.”

Kevin Graves, a resident of Oakland County, was last seen on July 1, 2018, during the Electric Forest Music Festival in Grant Township. Despite extensive volunteer searches on the festival grounds later that month, no clues were uncovered.

The search for Kevin Graves through the years

Back in 2018, a team of volunteer searchers meticulously scoured the wooded areas surrounding the Double JJ Resort, the venue for the Electric Forest Festival.

A search and rescue expert, who participated in that effort and spoke anonymously to FOX 17, described the search as especially challenging due to the dense terrain and difficult conditions in the area. He said:

“It was the most difficult search I've ever been on for multiple reasons. It's marsh land like you've never seen before. I have never encountered something like that.”

In 2019, his family distributed missing persons flyers at the festival, and in 2023, they helped install a billboard with Kevin’s image near the entrance of Electric Forest in hopes of keeping his story alive.

When Kevin Graves was last seen in 2018, he was employed at a coating company and shared a home with his girlfriend of nearly two years in Highland Township, Oakland County. She officially reported him missing on July 3, 2018, two days after he disappeared.

Over the years, various theories and rumors have emerged about Kevin's fate. Some speculated he might have joined a cult and left the festival, while others suggested he had traveled west to work on a marijuana farm, according to his father, Gary Graves.

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Gary also recalled being present during an interview with a couple who had camped near Kevin and his girlfriend during the Electric Forest Festival. They reported seeing Kevin visibly upset, crying, and walking away following an argument with his girlfriend. That was the last confirmed sighting of him on July 1, 2018.

While the Graves family suspects foul play, authorities have not officially confirmed this. As the investigation unfolds, Kevin’s family and the community continue to wait for answers, holding on to hope for closure and clarity.

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