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Man arrested in California for 1986 Van Buren Co. murder

Posted at 2:02 PM, Mar 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-18 14:02:34-04

PAW PAW, Mich. – A California man has been arrested for a cold case murder in Van Buren County.

Michigan State Police say they have arrested Michael Leon Curry in California for the 1986 murder of Wilda Wilkinson in Bangor, Michigan. Wilkinson was found dead in her home by her daughter.

Police say they Curry lived near Wilkinson at the time of her death and was questioned during the investigation. Curry was not ruled out by detectives at the time but was not able to be charged. In 2010, Michigan State Police began working on the case and in 2018, they began working the case full time. Police say they were able to get an arrest warrant for Curry after numerous interviews and physical evidence.

Curry has already waived extradition and is back in Michigan. He is expected to be arraigned Monday.