The man pulled from the Detroit River last week has been identified by Windsor police as 21-year-old Jean-Mickael Niyongabo.
Police say Niyongabo’s body was found floating in the city’s west end near Russell Street on June 20. Police are seeking the public’s help while the investigation into the cause of Niyongabo’s death continues.
Staff Sgt. Todd LaMarre with Windsor’s major crimes unit said while there is no evidence of foul play at this stage in the investigation, homicide is not yet being ruled out.
“We investigate every death investigation with that in mind and we want to rule everything out, obviously, before we close the case,” said LaMarre. “We want to be very thorough and we don’t want to leave anything left out of the investigation, so we want to talk to everybody we can who can offer any insight into what happened to this young man.”
Police describe the Niyongabo as a black male of African descent, five foot eleven and weighing approximately 140 pounds. He was discovered wearing a green shirt with “PRIORITIES” written on the front in black lettering, blue jeans, black running shoes and a grey hooded zippered jacket.
Niyongabo was from Burundi, according to police, and had been studying at the University of Windsor for about two years. He lived in the area of the university, said police.
Investigators believe Niyongabo was last seen in the area of Riverside Drive West between Bridge Avenue and Rankin Avenue in the early morning hours of June 16.
Police are looking for people with any information that would assist in tracking Niyongabo’s movements and activities prior to his death.
Anyone who could provide information is requested to contact the Windsor Police Major Crime Unit at (519) 255-6700 ext. 4390 or the Investigations Branch at ext. 4830. Anonymous tips can also be made by calling Crime Stoppers at 519-258-TIPS (8477).
Windsor police released this image June 22 of the clothing worn by a man identified as Jean-Mickael Niyongabo, whose body was pulled from the Detroit River June 20. Police are seeking the public’s help in the investigation. (Windsor police photo)
