Police Identify Remains of Missing Ohio Mother of 4 — 3 More Women Are Still Missing
On Tuesday, authorities announced that skeletal remains discovered in September in the backyard of an Ohio home belong to a 47-year-old woman who vanished without a trace in 2017.
Police say the identity of the remains of Michelle Burgan, 47, was confirmed through DNA testing. Her remains were discovered in the backyard of her former boyfriend’s Moraine home.
Gilbert Revere, 57, was arrested in September in connection with the case and is currently in custody. He is facing two counts of tampering with evidence, gross abuse of a corpse and failure to report a death.
How the mother of four died has yet to be determined.
“She was left for 17 months and it becomes pretty much skeletal remains,” Moraine Police Department Sgt. Jonathan Spencer tells PEOPLE. “We may never know what exactly happened.”
“Michelle did not deserve to be laid out in a field all of this time while her family all wondered and worried and pleaded ‘where is she,” Burgan’s sister-in-law, Marty Morgan told WDTN.
Meanwhile, investigators are trying to figure out if Revere had anything to do with the disappearances of three women who went missing under suspicious circumstances between May 2016 and May 2017.
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Brandy English, 43, went missing in May 11, 2016; Amber Flack disappeared on Sept. 1, 2016; and Melinda Miller, 49, has been missing since February 17, 2017.
Police believe the three missing women ran in the same circles as Burgan.
“All had a history of drugs and knew each other from that avenue,” says Spencer.
Spencer says it is not yet known if Revere knew English, Flack or Miller. “I would say there is a likelihood he has crossed paths with them at some point but I can’t confirm he knows them and he is not telling me he knows them,” he says.
However, Spencer says Burgan had a long history with Revere. “She had known him for several years,” he says. “They had dated 10 years prior to. I don’t think they were dating at the time.”
On the day of her disappearance, Spencer says Burgan had checked herself out of rehab.
“She sent the family a message that she was leaving and they believed Mr. Revere was the one picking her up,” he says.
Revere allegedly admitted that he picked up Burgan that day and brought her back to his home to take care of her. At one point, Revere allegedly left to go watch TV and when he returned Burgan was dead.
“He claims she overdosed on heroin,” Spencer says.
Revere allegedly told police he wrapped Burgan in an army tent and then dumped her body in the back of his property.
“Rocks were placed over the tarp so animals wouldn’t get into it,” Spencer said. “Instead of calling police he decided to dispose of her body in the wood line.”
Spencer says he hopes that somebody will come forward with information about the case.
“I still believe there are people out there who have knowledge of this case,” he says. “I am hoping they will come forward and bring closure to their families.”
Revere is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 15. It is unclear if he has entered a plea. His attorney could not be reached for comment.
Anyone with information related to the disappearances of English, Flack, and/or Miller should contact Middletown Police Detective Kristi Hughes at 513-425-7700 or BCI at 855-BCI-OHIO (855-224-6446).
