Delaware County officials confirmed Wednesday that the burned body found inside a vehicle on a rural Indiana road last December belongs to 58‑year‑old Michael D. Greer of Shelbyville. The identification came after DNA testing linked the remains to Greer, ending weeks of uncertainty for his loved ones.
Just before dawn on December 14, deputies from the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of a vehicle on fire along County Road 500 South, west of Indiana 3. When firefighters extinguished the blaze, they discovered Greer’s remains inside the charred vehicle. The condition of the scene was such that investigators initially could not identify the victim by sight.
Greer’s family learned of the discovery and immediately feared that the remains could be his. An elderly Shelbyville resident later told local news outlets that the victim was his son, and authorities confirmed that through forensic DNA testing on Wednesday. The sheriff’s department then began notifying Greer’s relatives and offering them support as the investigation moved forward.
In the weeks since Greer’s death was confirmed, five people from Indianapolis have been arrested in connection with the case. Law enforcement says the suspects range in age from their early 20s to early 40s and that arrests continued into mid‑January. These individuals are being held at the Delaware County Jail without bond as prosecutors pursue felony charges tied to the death.
Investigators believe this was not a simple accident or isolated act, but part of a coordinated series of criminal actions that ended in Greer’s death. Court filings show some defendants are charged with directly participating in the incident, while others face counts related to assisting or facilitating what happened that night. Prosecutors have described serious felony charges but have released few specifics to protect the ongoing legal process.
Several of the suspects now have trial dates set in Delaware Circuit Court, with cases scheduled from May through July. The prosecution says they hope to present clear evidence of what led to Greer’s death, though full details of the alleged crime remain sealed or limited in public filings.
Law enforcement leaders stress that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, and they’ve urged the public to avoid speculation as the judicial process unfolds. At the same time, detectives say they’ve worked closely with state and local agencies to piece together the events that led to Greer’s death — a case that has drawn regional attention because of its brutality, complexity, and the number of people allegedly involved.
