PLYMOUTH, Mich. (WXYZ) — There’s new information in the shooting death of a mother of two from Plymouth.
The victim, Andrea Grant, 50, was found Thursday morning outside a gym in a car in Pittsfield Township that was shot through with bullets.
Police on Friday said the suspect, Michael Anthony Elinski, 59, was found dead in Clare. They say preliminary information shows he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police were previously looking for Elinkski.
Detectives are now investigating his death.
Family and neighbors say the two had been romantically involved in the recent past.
Karen Sherwood was Grant’s neighbor. She described the Plymouth community.
“We’re pretty close knit and we watch out for each other. We take care of each other,” said Sherwood. “This just doesn’t happen in Plymouth.”
She reacted to the news of the shooting.
“Not that I wanted it to be anybody, but not the Andrea that was my neighbor and friend. So I’m devastated,” Sherwood said.
She described the kind of person Grant was.
“She was just always jubilant and happy and wanting to know what was going on in your life. And chatting and walking her dogs and so proud of her girls,” said Sherwood.
Multiple neighbors said Grant was romantically involved with Elinski, and the two had been together for some time.
“He would drive a work van. I believe it was for like a basement water restoration company. And up until a couple months ago, that was at the house quite frequently,” explained Sherwood.
Another neighbor recalled the company Elinski worked for precisely, Perma Dry. 7 Action News reached out to the company for more information but had not heard back by time of publishing.
Neighbors said Elinski’s van was regularly parked alongside Grant’s house until a few months ago, when police and EMTs showed up.
“Yeah, I think that might have been around the same time you didn’t see her partner here anymore,” said Sherwood.
She says people in her neighborhood were on high alert while police were looking for Elinkski.
“Not just myself but everybody in the neighborhood will be a little bit more on-guard. We’ll make sure that we close our garages and lock our doors,” she said.
