The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department says it believes it has found the body of a Niles area man who was reported missing this month. Police say they started looking for 47-year-old Garen Patrick Collins on June 9 when he was reported missing from the Riverfront Park Campground along the Dowagiac River in Niles Township. On Saturday, a team of first responders were searching a wooded area along the Dowagiac River when they found a body they believe to be Collins. It was found about 100 yards from the river with no obvious signs of foul play. The body has been taken to Western Michigan University for an autopsy on Sunday.
On Saturday June 15, 2019, nineteen members of the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office, the Niles
Township Fire Department, and the Niles City Fire Department were conducting a search of a
heavy wooded area along the Dowagiac River, when they located the body of a deceased male,
who appears to be Garen Collins.
The body was located in thick woods/brush and was approximately 100 yards away from the
Dowagiac River.
There were no obvious signs of foul play.
The Berrien County Sheriff’s Office and Personnel from the Western Michigan University Homer
R. Stryker School of Medicine’s Medical Examiner’s Office processed the scene and body for
any potential evidence, which may help in determining the cause of death.
The deceased body was transported to the Western Michigan University Homer R. Stryker
Medical Examiner’s Office and an autopsy is scheduled for Sunday June 16, 2019 to positively
identify the deceased individual and to determine a cause of death.
Based upon information provided to the investigators by family members, the deceased
individual found on June 15, 2019 appears to be Garen Collins.
The Berrien County Sheriff’s Office Victim Services Unit and Chaplains assisted in providing
comfort and support to the family and friends during this investigation.
