Bones found outside a Michigan home earlier this month belong to a mother and her son who vanished last year, authorities announced Friday.
Lansing police said bones discovered by a construction crew rehabbing a south Lansing home on July 1 are the remains of Danielle Marie Steiner, 34, and her son, Aubrey Hall, 5. Steiner had sent a text to a relative before they vanished on July 17, 2018, three days after Child Protective Services had a meeting with the mother and son, WLIX reported, citing police.
A family friend reported the mother and son as missing on August 17. The missing persons case was reclassified as a homicide in light of the bones’ identifications. Despite this, police said their cause of death remains undetermined.
Posted by Lansing Police Department on Friday, July 5, 2019
Hall’s father was reportedly awarded custody the same month the pair were last seen alive. According to the Lansing State Journal, the father was granted full custody after Steiner failed to appear for a hearing in June 2018. Court documents stated that the boy’s father had accused her of using drugs, a claim she denied to CPS.
The Journal reported that Steiner had moved to a neighbor’s home days before the June 14 CPS visit because she couldn’t afford rent. She reportedly moved out of that home shortly thereafter and CPS investigators lost contact.
Withholding details, authorities said they had no indication before Monday that the mother and son were dead.
No arrests have been made.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearances and deaths of Danielle Marie Steiner and Aubrey Hall should call Lansing Detective Looney at 517-483-6869, Detective Trooper Mills at 517-483-6866, or Detective Sergeant Johnson at 517-483-6867.
This is a developing story. Check back with CrimeOnline for updates as they become available.
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[Featured image: Danielle Marie Steiner, Aubrey Hall/Lansing Police Department]
