May 15, 2003

            Detroit, MI – Nearly two-decades ago a pair of metro-Detroit men left their homes for a weekend hunting trip and were never heard from again.  Today, standing next to the victims’ three surviving parents, Attorney General Mike Cox announced he is charging two brothers with the deaths of David Tyll and Brian Ognjan.

            “As Attorney General, I promised that I would protect and fight for the most vulnerable members of our society, especially the 400,000 victims of felony crimes in this state and their families,” said Cox.  “It is on behalf of two of those families that today I am charging Donald and Raymond Duval with the deaths of David Tyll and Brian Ognjan.”

“A lot is owed to the Michigan State Police for their years of work on this case.  If it weren’t for their persistence, these killers may never have been charged.”

            Tyll, of Troy, and Ognjan, of St. Clair Shores, were last seen on November 23, 1985.  Friends since boyhood, the two men were originally thought to be heading to a family cabin in the White Cloud area on the west side of the state for a weekend of hunting, but it was later determined that they actually headed to Oscoda County in northern Michigan.

The men were last seen at Linker’s Lounge, a bar no longer in business, just North of Mio.  The complaint alleges that the Duvals sought out and beat the victims to death not far from the bar after having an altercation earlier in the day with the two hunters.

The break in the case came as a result of continued efforts by the State Police and the use of investigative subpoenas by the Attorney General’s office to question new witnesses.  Each defendant is charged with two counts of murder in the first degree, punishable by life in prison.

“The full resources of the Attorney General’s office will go into this case,” said Cox.  “I have directed my staff to do everything within their means to bring these men to justice, I only wish we could have done so sooner.”

For further information contact: Matt Davis
517-373-0481 (Office)
State of Michigan, Department of Attorney General