Do you know who murdered 49 year old Lillian Laurel Prahin in 1982? Lillian Laurel Prahin was a 49-year-old mother from Bay City, Michigan, whose life was woven into the fabric of her community and family. Known by her maiden name, Morse, before her marriage, she was the mother of several children, including daughters Arlene, LouAnn, Tina, and Barbara, and sons Frank Jr. and Steve. Though she and the father of her children, Frank Prahin, were no longer married, they had built a large family together. Lillian was known to enjoy the local nightlife and social scene in downtown Bay City, a familiar face in the city's social spots.
The last days of Lillian’s life are marked by uncertainty. She was last definitively seen alive on Wednesday, September 22, 1982, in her hometown of Bay City. There were other, unconfirmed sightings of her as late as the evening of Friday, September 24. After that, she vanished, and her loved ones were left to wonder where she had gone.
The answer, when it came, was a devastating confirmation of the worst possible fears. On Saturday, September 25, 1982, her body was discovered floating in the murky waters of the Chippewa River in Midland County. The location was just off South 9 Mile Road, about a mile and a half south of the M-20 highway, a considerable distance from her home.
The Midland County Sheriff's Office was called to the scene, and investigators quickly determined that Lillian had been the victim of a homicide. Evidence found with her body pointed to a violent end, but the discovery marked only the beginning of a complex and frustrating investigation. A critical piece of the puzzle was missing: Lillian’s car. She had been driving a silver 1976 4-door Chrysler with a distinct maroon vinyl top, and it was nowhere to be found. For weeks, detectives searched for the vehicle, believing it held the key to understanding her final movements and identifying her killer.
Nearly three weeks passed. Then, on October 11, 1982, the Chrysler was found. It was located in the parking lot of a Meijer Thrifty Acres store in Ionia, Michigan. The discovery of the car, so far from both Bay City where Lillian was last seen and Midland County where her body was recovered, only deepened the mystery. The significant distance between these three locations presented investigators with a baffling timeline and a series of unanswered questions. Who had driven the car to Ionia, and when? Was Lillian killed in Bay City, Midland County, or somewhere else entirely?
Decades have passed, but the murder of Lillian Prahin remains an open wound for her family and investigators. Her daughter Arlene passed away in 2005, and her ex-husband Frank in 2010, both without ever seeing justice for Lillian. The case is a cold case, but not a forgotten one. The Midland County Sheriff's Office has revisited the file over the years, hoping that advancements in forensic technology or a long-overdue pang of conscience might finally break the silence. Detectives believe there are people who saw Lillian or her vehicle between Wednesday, September 22, and the day her body was found. It is also possible someone saw the car in the Bay City or Midland area even after her death.
As of today, no suspects have ever been publicly identified, and no arrests have ever been made in connection with the homicide. The case remains unsolved, a lingering mystery from the fall of 1982. The Midland County Sheriff's Office and Lillian's family continue to ask for the public's help. Anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is urged to come forward. Those with tips can contact the Midland County Sheriff's Office Tip Line at (989) 839-4609 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-422-JAIL. 
