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Four people are charged after black man's burning corpse is found in a ditch next to a roadside in Iowa

Four people have been charged after a black man's burning corpse was found in a ditch next to a roadside in Iowa. 

The body of Michael Williams, 44, of Grinnell, Iowa, was found in a ditch near Kellogg.

Three men and one woman have been arrested in connection with his death and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is treating the incident as a homicide. 

One of men arrested, Steven Vogel, faces charges of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

The body of Michael Williams, 44, (pictured) of Grinnell, Iowa, was found in a ditch near Kellogg

The body of Michael Williams, 44, of Grinnell, Iowa, was found in a ditch near Kellogg

Vogel is currently at the Marshall County Jail, where he was already in custody on unrelated charges.

Also arrested were 55-year old Julia Cox, 57-year-old Roy Lee Garner, and 29-year-old Cody Johnson, all of Grinnell. 

Cox and Garner have been charged with one count of abuse of a corpse, destruction of evidence, and aggravated misdemeanor. 

Johnson was charged with abuse of a corpse and aggravated misdemeanor. All three are being held at the Poweshiek County jail.

A statement from the Department of Public Safety said that the victim was acquainted with Vogel and the pair often socialized within the same circle of friends. 

'The investigation has revealed no evidence to show the acts against Michael Williams were motivated by his race nor that his death was the result of a hate crime,' the statement read. 

Suspect Steven VogelJulia Cox

Steven Vogel, left, is currently at the Marshall County Jail, where he was already in custody on unrelated charges. Also arrested was 55-year old Julia Cox, left 

At around 5.30pm last Wednesday evening, officers were alerted to a fire in a ditch near Mariposa County Park. 

Responding emergency personnel identified the burning object as a human body. Examination of the scene led investigators to believe the victim died as the result of a homicide.

Investigators believe he was killed on September 12 in Grinnell and his body was then wrapped in cloth and plastic, which was secured with rope and tape, then transported to rural Kellogg on September 16, where it was set ablaze, according to the police statement. 

Roy Lee GarnerCody Johnson

57-year-old Roy Lee Garner, left, and 29-year-old Cody Johnson, right, of Grinnell were among those arrested in connection with the death. 

Betty Andrews, president of the Iowa-Nebraska National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , said that based on the evidence, she also believes there is no indication that Williams was targeted because of his race.

'Given that the current climate where racial justice is on the front burner for so many ... we understand the fear this kind of incident evokes,' she said. 

'If there is something there, then we need to identify and address it. If there is not something there, we need to make sure that we have that clarity, as well. Any time there is a concern about the possibility of a racist act, that's where we are.' 

Speaking to local broadcaster KCCI, Williams' ex-wife and the mother of his five children Janalee Boldt described him as a 'family person' whose kids were 'always important.' 

'My daughter will not let me outside in the dark by myself because she's afraid of losing another parent,' Ms Boldt said.

Grinnell College cancelled its classes on Tuesday in response to the death of a member of the community. 

'This stark and brutal murder in the national context of racial injustice has struck intense fear for safety of our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color colleagues, friends, and families,' President of the college Anne Harris wrote in a statement. 

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