Michigan police confirmed on Thursday that remains found by two hunters near the grounds of Electric Forest Music Festival are those of Kevin Graves, who vanished in 2018 at the age of 28 after attending the festival.
His father, Gary Graves, said Kevin’s body was discovered on Monday, December 30th along with possessions that helped confirm his identity. “They said they found his wallet, his phone and he had a (festival) wristband on,” Graves told MLive. An autopsy and analysis of dental records later confirmed the identification. Police did not reveal a cause of death but said there is no evidence of foul play.
Lead detective Sgt. David Bach of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office notified the family on December 31st before Kevin’s identity was confirmed. “All of the sudden, he said what he said and my wife collapsed,” Graves recounted. “And I grabbed her and then went over and sat on the couch and (Bach) got down on his one knee trying to comfort us and explain what they found.”
Police conducted multiple searches of the festival grounds and surrounding area after Kevin’s disappearance but turned up no evidence until hunters discovered the remains while clearing land for a shooting lane.
“With the dogs and everything they claim they had running around there looking, I can’t see how we missed him,” Gary Graves said. “But I can’t say for sure until I know exactly where it was at.”
Kevin’s parents previously provided detectives samples of their DNA and access to their son’s dental records. Members of the family attended the festival briefly in 2022.
Kevin attended Electric Forest 2018 in Rothbury, MI with his girlfriend. Attendees who camped next to the couple said they saw Kevin walk away after the pair got in an argument. He was last seen on July 1st, 2018, the day before the festival ended, and was reported missing by his girlfriend on July 3rd.
Rumors quickly began to circulate, with some speculating that he joined a cult or traveled West to work at a marijuana farm. The family said they suspect foul play, but that has not been confirmed by police.
“It’s been hell. It’s been harder on (my wife) than me. I guess I hold things in differently. I mean, I was in the war, so things hit me different,” said Kevin’s father, who served in the Viet Nam war. “I’m hoping that they’re going to find something that’s going to help figure out what happened to him. We didn’t really want that answer,” he added. “We were hoping one day he’d come walking up the driveway.”
Electric Forest released a statement responding to the news, writing, “The news about Kevin Graves is deeply saddening. We would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to Kevin’s family and friends during this difficult time. We are grateful to all of the agencies involved for their efforts in locating Kevin. Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by his loss.”
