According to authorities the body found in LaGrange County has been positively identified as the missing 79 year old Rosemary Reinel. She had been missing for approximately five weeks.
A missing person investigation has now turned into a homicide investigation after police positively identify a body found in rural LaGrange County.
Police suspected the body was that of 79-year-old Rosemary Reinel of Sturgis, Michigan. Using dental records, police confirmed the body was Reinel.
Investigators say they are still trying to determine when and how Reinel was killed.
Police say they are looking at 53-year-old Dannie Gayheart as a person of interest in the case.
Update: WNDU 16; Missing person case turns into homicide investigation
A body that was found in rural LaGrange County has been positively identified as a missing Sturgis woman, 79-year-old Rosemary Reinel. Reinel disappeared in September.
On Tuesday, Reinel’s body was found just three miles away from her home by LaGrange County farmers working on their crops.
Body confirmed to be missing Sturgis woman
A coroner has confirmed that a body found in an Indiana farm field is that of a Sturgis woman last seen leaving her apartment on September 19th.
The coroner made the identification based on dental records. An autopsy could determine exactly how and when 79-year-old Rosemary Reinel died.
Body buried in corn field identified as missing Michigan woman, Rosemary Reinel
A body found buried in a corn field near the Michigan state line has been identified as a Michigan woman missing since September.
Police said Thursday they are conducting a homicide investigation into the death of Rosemary Reinel, 79, of Sturgis. She was reported missing Sept. 22 and was last seen leaving her Sturgis apartment two days earlier, according to Sturgis police.
Reinel’s car was found last month in Sarasota, Fla. Gayheart was arrested there on charges that he violated his parole from Michigan.
Evidence in the car pointed to foul play, police said.
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Rosemary Reinel, 79 years old, still Missing
November 3rd, 2005 at 03:14pm
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Found Deceased, Missing, Missing Adult, Rosemary Reinel |
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Police in Sturgis suspect foul play in the disappearance of 79-year-old Rosemary Reinel. She was reported missing 10-days ago. 
Rosemary had talked about traveling to Florida with a friend. Her car was found Tuesday in Sarasota and Thursday night, 53-year-old Dannie Gayheart, the man thought to be her traveling companion, was arrested. He is being looked at as a person of interest but there is still no sign of Rosemary.
Rosemary lived in Sturgis at Froh Manor Apartments. Gayheart was staying across the hall from Rosemary with Paul Colwell. “One thing about Rose, she was very friendly. That’s what I picked up about her. She was too friendly with everybody,” says Paul. Police first believed Gayheart and Reinel went to Florida together.
According to the Sturgis Police Department, “They were contemplating that Dannie Gayheart was going to drive her to Florida”. The police also went on to say that, “It’s our understanding she changed her mind about going to Florida and that’s something we’re looking into.”
On Tuesday, Sarasota Police found Reinel’s car. Sturgis Police went down to check it out. Thursday night, Sarasota Police arrested Gayheart on local charges and for violating parole in Michigan but police still don’t know where Rosemary Reinel is.
(full story)
Rosemary Reinel is 5’4″ tall, weighs 120 pounds, has white and gray hair, and was last seen wearing white gym shoes and a fishing or sailing type hat. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sturgis Police Department. An update in the disappearance of Rosemary Reinel.
According to WNDU16, Gayheart now tells police he has no idea where Reinel is. 
But says she left her car for him to pick-up at a Kalamazoo bus station. According to Gayheart, Reinel then took a bus to Florida while he drove her car. The detectives investigating the case learned Reinel changed her mind about her trip the weekend before she disappeared.
Gayheart is being held for a parole violation for leaving Michigan, as well as fraudulent activities charges in Sarasota on unrelated cases.
October 7th, 2005 at 02:43pm
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Missing, Missing Adult, Rosemary Reinel |
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