Authorities find possible weapon in Genesee Co. woman's death

Authorities found a possible murder weapon while investigating the homicide case of Flushing resident Kelly McWhirter.

McWhirter has been missing since Oct. 14 and is now presumed dead as law enforcement has shifted its investigation from a rescue to recovery.

Her husband, Steven Higgins, is a prime suspect in her disappearance. The 57-year-old shot himself in the head on Wednesday when officials identified his 2009 Ford F-150 truck and initiated a traffic stop.

Investigators received a tip on Thursday. A caller said Higgins had spent nearly 10 hours at her home in Ogemaw County on Tuesday, Genesee County Sheriff Christopher Swanson said in a press conference Friday.

The caller had a late husband who was friends with Higgins. He showed up to her home suddenly on Tuesday around noon, Swanson said. There, Higgins reportedly took a nap in his car and helped her with some yard work.

"What was interesting was, there was an exchange of maybe going to town to get something to eat, and he said, 'I can’t, my truck is too dirty,'" Swanson said.

Investigators recovered the potential murder weapon, which causes blunt force trauma, in the caller's Ogemaw home. Swanson said he won't confirm the weapon while authorities are still testing it over the weekend, adding they still can't compare the piece to the body or possible wounds.

Higgins had a criminal record dating back to the 1980s with multiple felonies, Swanson said.

"Most all of them were disorderly, larcenies, burglaries, concealed weapons," the sheriff said. "One was assault with intent strangulation, so he had a history of this."

Law enforcement is now focused on recovering McWhirter's body. Evidence suggests her body was buried, possibly disposed of in the woods somewhere along Higgins' travel route through the weekend, Swanson said.

Investigators are searching and pursuing tips between Ogemaw County and Norwalk, Ohio, where evidence indicates Higgins drove over the weekend from Flushing before returning to Michigan on Sunday.

“Many of these cases are considered ‘whodunits.' This is a ‘wheredonit,'" Swanson said. "…This was a domestic violence turned homicide, and the suspect who has the information killed himself, didn’t leave us any clue other than what’s been left behind. He was dumb enough to be coy, and that’s what we’re trying to put together."

Anyone who saw McWhirter's 2022 white Hyundai Tucson or Higgins' 2009 Gray Ford F-150 truck on the side of the road between Oct. 14 and Oct. 17 should contact 911 or (810) 257-3422 with tips, Swanson said.