By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


The case against a Detroit man charged with mutilating the body of a Livingston County woman reported missing in November has been bound over for trial.

47-year-old Dowan Knighten was arrested on February 11th at a Detroit home with the body of 29-year-old Kayla Pierce. The Handy Township resident was reported missing by her mother on November 24th after having been last seen alive at the Howell Speedway station. Pierce’s body was found behind Knighten’s Detroit house after an investigation conducted by Detroit Police, assisted by Michigan State Police and the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office.

Knighten, who is charged with mutilation of a dead body, concealing the death of an individual, and tampering with evidence, was in 36th District Court last week for a preliminary exam, which he waived, sending his case to Wayne County Circuit Court for trial. He’ll be arraigned there on April 15th.

Authorities said that Pierce’s 2013 Chrysler 200 was located in Detroit shortly after her disappearance. However, a petition on change.org started by a family member claims that Detroit Police had located Kayla’s car at Knighten’s residence on December 3rd, but did not conduct a search of his home.

The online petition seeks an expansion of the state’s Amber Alert law, “for missing adults believed to be endangered and more vigorous pursuit by law enforcement for missing persons, as well as a system for handling missing person cases across different jurisdictions.”

The petition also says that Pierce's autopsy report has yet to be completed, and that depending on the results, "further charges may be pursued. The autopsy will also be able to determine if Kayla was alive when her car was found on December 3,2020."

A request for comment has been made to Detroit Police but has not been returned.

Knighten, who was allowed to post bond and is free while on an electronic tether, faces up to ten years in prison if convicted.