Search continues for Hoffa’s body; concrete slabs unearthed, source says

Published 9:16 pm Tuesday, June 18, 2013

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Despite help from Michigan State forensic anthropologists and a Michigan State Police K-9, the search for Jimmy Hoffa has so far turned up nothing, according to investigators.

A source at the scene said digging has taken place on about a half-acre of the grassy, vacant field in Oakland Township.

They unearthed two concrete slabs, about six feet by 12 feet each, according to the source, who is familiar with the search. They matched claims by Tony Zerilli, 85, the son of reputed former Detroit mob boss Joseph Zerilli, that Hoffa, 62, was buried there. Zerilli claims Hoffa was struck with a shovel and then buried alive on the property, with a slab of concrete placed over the body.

Core samples of the slabs, described as typical foundation concrete, and the dirt underneath did not yield any clues to Hoffa’s disappearance, according to the source. But the search is expected to continue throughout the day Tuesday.

The Michigan State Police K-9 arrived on the dirt road just after 9:30 a.m., walking through the field with two handlers.

Also at the site are forensic anthropologists from Michigan State University, according to the source. So far, though, digging and excavating that began on Monday has turned up nothing.

A steady stream of gawkers has been trickling past the site, as satellite trucks and a helicopter overhead send news feeds throughout the Detroit area and to international outlets.

Hoffa was kidnapped on the afternoon of July 30, 1975, from the parking lot of what was then the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Township, Mich.

“It’s my fondest hope that we can give . closure not just to the Hoffa family, but also to the community and stop tearing that scab off with every new lead and bring some conclusion,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Monday. “It’s long overdue.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Foley III of the Detroit office said the FBI was executing a search warrant in the grassy field.

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