KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Kalamazoo County Sheriff and the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor have sent a cold case homicide to the Michigan Attorney General for review.
The county made the announcement Monday afternoon that they are sending the Erik Cross case to Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Cross was found dead near his parent’s front yard in Vicksburg, Michigan in June of 1983. He was 16-years-old and had been walking home from a party. No arrests have been made.
In 2017, the Sheriff’s Department called for arrest warrants to be issued, but the prosecutor’s office did not act on them. Since the murder, at least five people have been considered “persons-of-interest” in the case.
Monday afternoon, AG Nessel’s office released this statement:
“At the request of Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting and the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Department, the Office of the Attorney General is doing a very preliminary review of the Erik Cross cold case homicide but have not made any determination regarding the next steps.”
The group, Erik’s Army has pushed for justice for years, making sure the case remains in the spotlight. They call Monday’s announcement a big step in the right direction.
“This announcement today is like a bright spot of hope that maybe there can be real justice in Michigan out of Kalamazoo County but obviously it’s going to take Lansing to help make it happen,” said Melissa Hatfield, a family friend and member of Erik’s Army. “We’re not done until there’s prosecution, there’s people locked up and put away hopefully for the rest of their lives so they can understand what loss is.”
Each year, a memorial walk is held for Erik. Those with Erik’s Army hope by this year’s event, the case will be close to being closed, so they can finally let Erik rest in peace.
“He did matter, we didn’t forget about him and never gave up on him,” said Hatfield.
