Man Charged with Mutilating Body of Livingston County Woman

A 47-year-old Detroit man has been charged with crimes that include mutilating the body of a Livingston County woman who was reported missing in November.

Dowan Knighton was arrested Thursday at a Detroit home with the body of 29-year-old Handy Township resident Kayla Pierce, who was reported missing by her mother on Nov. 24, according to a Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office press release.

Dowan Knighton

Kayla Pierce

{snip}

Knighton was charged Saturday with mutilation of a dead body, concealing the death of an individual and tampering with evidence. {snip}

The crime of mutilating a dead body carries up to a 10-year prison sentence.

{snip}