In January 2019, the quiet community of Montague, Michigan, was shaken by the tragic death of 27-year-old Raymond Coleman, Jr. His life was cut short in a violent act that ended with his body being discovered in the trunk of a smoldering car in the neighboring Dalton Township on January 19th. The grim discovery launched an intensive investigation by the Muskegon County Sheriff's Office, which soon unraveled a disturbing sequence of events.
The investigation revealed that Coleman had been
fatally shot a day prior to the discovery of his body. The scene of the shooting was a residence in Montague, where authorities believe an altercation took place. Following the shooting, the perpetrator placed Coleman's body in the vehicle and drove it to a remote, wooded area along a two-track road near the Village of Lakewood Club. It was there that the car was intentionally set on fire in an attempt to conceal the crime.
Detectives were able to piece together the events thanks to a crucial witness who came forward. The witness was present at the Montague home at the time of the shooting and provided investigators with a firsthand account. Fearing for their own safety, the witness had initially been hesitant to speak with law enforcement. Their testimony, however, proved vital in identifying the person responsible for Coleman's death.
The suspect was identified as 33-year-old Antonio Wiggers of Montague. However, before he could be apprehended and brought to justice, Wiggers took his own life. On January 20th, just two days after Coleman's death, Wiggers was found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a room at the Rodeway Inn in nearby Whitehall Township. The case was ultimately classified as a murder-suicide, leaving a community to grapple with the senseless loss of two lives.
