Body found in vehicle in Milwaukee tow lot 4 days after crash

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The body of a 17-year-old Milwaukee boy was found in the back of a towed car Monday, June 5, four days after the car was first taken from the scene of a crash last week.

MPD found the 17-year-old's body in the car at the city's tow lot near 35th and Lincoln. The body was found on the floor of the rear portion of a severely accident-damaged SUV. It had been towed away four days earlier, June 1.

Attorney William Sulton said, "This is supposed to be a multi-level approach so that this kind of thing doesn't happen."

MPD said an SUV crashed into a tree near 91st and Fond du Lac last Thursday evening. The SUV was determined to be stolen, so the 16-year-old driver was arrested. The damaged vehicle was then towed away.

Sulton said, "When vehicles get to the tow lot, we have another set of rules and responsibilities that apply to those officers at the tow lot. They can't process or release the vehicle until they can confirm a search was conducted."

But a 17-year-old Milwaukee boy was apparently still inside the SUV. His body was found four days later. It is not yet known when the boy died or if his life could have been saved had he been discovered at the time of the crash.

This is the third time in the past few years a car has been towed away with someone still inside.

Sulton said, "This shows me that not only do we not care, but we still don't care."

Sulton represented the family of a 4-year-old girl who in 2018 was towed away in a vehicle and spent eight hours in the car, alone overnight in the tow lot.

In 2022, the Milwaukee Fire Department responded to a burning car. After the fire was put out, they had the car towed away. But hours later, a tow lot attendant discovered human remains inside.

The day after this latest crash, MPD Standard Operating Procedure 610 went into effect, detailing how towed vehicles must be searched.

It says in part, searches must be made with body cameras on, the trunk and all compartments must be searched, and all items must be inventoried.

Sulton said, "This is an event that happens every day. So there really can't be any mistakes."

The Milwaukee Police Department would not give an interview Monday about this latest incident.

The medical examiner has not yet released a report or cause of death, so it is unknown if the still-unidentified 17-year-old was alive or dead after the crash Thursday.