Case file
Key facts
- Name: Kimberly Noel McGrath
- Age at disappearance: 43
- Last contact: Friday, October 9, 2026
- Location: Huron Township, Michigan — her car was found crashed in the backyard of a residence on the 18000 block of Hannan Road
- The vehicle: Crashed into a tree; her purse, cell phone, and other belongings were still inside; police said the engine was still running
- Height / build: About 5’7″, roughly 150 lbs
- Crash alert: WDIV Local 4 reported that Huron Township police received a crash notification from her phone on Friday evening, October 9, in the area of Hannan and Pennsylvania roads — the car itself was not found until the next day
- Status: Still missing — no outlet or agency has reported her found as of October 20, 2026
- Investigating agency: Huron Township Police Department (734-753-4400)
- Also listed: Missing People in America, Case #10179 (filed October 12, 2026); Michigan Missing Person Unit (855) 642-4847
An empty car in a neighbor’s yard
On Saturday, October 10, 2026, a homeowner in Huron Township discovered a crashed car in the backyard of a residence on the 18000 block of Hannan Road — and no driver. Officers arrived, identified the vehicle as belonging to 43-year-old Kimberly Noel McGrath of Southgate, and found her purse, cell phone, and other belongings still inside the car. Kimberly was not at the scene. She was not at her home. She has not been seen since.
Police said the vehicle had crashed into a tree near a driveway and was badly damaged — and that its engine was still running when it was found. Her family, who had not heard from her since the day before, reported her missing once they learned what had happened.
One detail makes the timeline stranger. WDIV Local 4 reported that Huron Township police received a crash notification from McGrath’s phone on Friday evening, October 9, in the area of Hannan and Pennsylvania roads. Yet the car was not located that night. It was found the following day, when a neighbor went out to mow the lawn and discovered it in a backyard, with a tree down in the area and the Huron River just yards away. In other words, the first electronic signal of the crash came hours before anyone laid eyes on the wreck — and still, no one saw Kimberly.
“Officers responded to the location and were unable to locate the driver/owner of the vehicle,” the Huron Township Department of Public Safety wrote on Facebook. “Her last contact with family was Friday, October 9, 2026.”
The search that found nothing
The crashed car sat yards from the Huron River — a detail that shaped everything about the search. The Huron Township Fire Department conducted a water search of the accessible parts of the river. The Huron Township Police Department, Huron Township Fire Department, Metroparks Police Department, and the Michigan State Police conducted aerial searches by drone and a K9 ground search of the area.
Every one of those efforts was unsuccessful.
Authorities’ concern was that Kimberly may have been injured in the crash and walked away disoriented. “Our fear is that Kimberly could be injured from the crash,” Everette Robbins of the Huron Township Department of Public Safety said. “Our number one priority is to locate her and make sure she is safe.” Police urged residents nearby to check outbuildings and anywhere on their property where an injured person might seek shelter. “We’re not ruling anything out,” Robbins added.
Who Kimberly is
Kimberly Noel McGrath is 43, a resident of Southgate, Michigan — a Detroit suburb not far from where her car came to rest. She worked as a DoorDash and Uber Eats driver, according to her family. She has no history of mental illness, and she has a pet cat — the kind of detail that tells you something about a person.
Her family says her disappearance is completely out of character. “She’s never without her phone, and she would never leave her cat,” her aunt Elizabeth Zaenger said. “This is totally out of character.”
Her cousin Monica Doyle has spoken for the family. “We don’t know if she was hurt. We don’t know if she was even driving the car because nobody saw her,” Doyle said. That single sentence captures the whole of the case: a wrecked car, belongings left inside, and no witness to anything that came after.
Theories: what might have happened
She was injured and walked away. This is the theory investigators themselves have emphasized. A crash, no driver at the scene, belongings left behind — all of it fits someone who walked away hurt and disoriented, possibly into the wooded ground between the crash site and the river. What supports it: the official statements about her possibly being injured, and the way police framed the public appeal around checking outbuildings and shelter spots. What undercuts it: exhaustive drone, K9, and water searches turned up nothing, in an area the search teams covered repeatedly.
She left the scene for another reason — willingly or with someone else. No one saw the crash happen, and no one saw who was driving. That gap has fueled community discussion about whether Kimberly might have left voluntarily or been picked up by someone. What supports it: the missing witness to the crash itself. What undercuts it: she left behind her purse and phone — belongings people almost always take if they are leaving deliberately — and her family says she has not contacted them, which they describe as completely out of character for her.
Have information?
Contact the Huron Township Police Department at 734-753-4400. Tips can also go to the Michigan Missing Person Unit at (855) 642-4847. If you were near Hannan Road or Pennsylvania Road in Huron Township on October 9 or 10, 2026, and noticed anything unusual — or have security-camera footage from that area and time — please contact investigators; police and family appeals have specifically asked residents to check outbuildings, sheds, and garages where an injured person might have sought shelter. Even a small detail could matter. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- October 9, 2026 (Friday) — Kimberly McGrath last contacts her family. That evening, according to WDIV Local 4, Huron Township police receive a crash notification from her phone in the area of Hannan and Pennsylvania roads. The vehicle is not located that night.
- October 10, 2026 (Saturday) — A neighbor who went out to mow the lawn discovers her crashed vehicle in a backyard on the 18000 block of Hannan Road, Huron Township, with a tree down nearby. Her purse, phone, and other belongings are inside; police say the engine was still running. Kimberly is nowhere to be found — not at the scene and not at her Southgate home. Her family reports her missing.
- October 10–13, 2026 — Police, fire, Metroparks police, and Michigan State Police conduct water, drone, and K9 ground searches near the crash site and the Huron River. All are unsuccessful.
- October 13–15, 2026 — Local television coverage continues as the search stays active; the New York Post publishes its report on October 15.
- October 16, 2026 — The Monroe News publishes its interview with Police Chief Everette Robbins.
- October 12, 2026 — Missing People in America lists her case (#10179): missing from Southgate since October 9, 5’7″, 150 lbs, believed to be without her cell phone.
- October 20, 2026 — Still missing. Case re-checked; no report of her being found has appeared in any source checked.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Kimberly McGrath still missing?
- Yes. As of October 20, 2026, she has been missing for 11 days, and no outlet or agency has reported her found.
- When did Kimberly McGrath’s crash happen?
- Her last contact with family was Friday, October 9, 2026. WDIV Local 4 reported that police received a crash notification from her phone that Friday evening in the area of Hannan and Pennsylvania roads — but the car was not found until Saturday, October 10, when a neighbor went to mow the lawn and discovered it in a backyard. No one witnessed the crash itself.
- Was Kimberly McGrath driving the car?
- That is not known. Nobody saw the crash or who was driving. Her cousin Monica Doyle has said: “We don’t know if she was hurt. We don’t know if she was even driving the car because nobody saw her.” Her purse, cell phone, and other belongings were found inside the car, and Missing People in America lists her as believed to be without her cell phone.
- What does Kimberly McGrath look like?
- She is 43 years old, about 5’7″ tall and roughly 150 lbs, and lives in Southgate, Michigan. She worked as a DoorDash and Uber Eats driver, according to her family.
- Where was her car found?
- Crashed into a tree in the backyard of a residence on the 18000 block of Hannan Road in Huron Township, Michigan, on October 10, 2026 — discovered by a homeowner. Her purse and cell phone were inside the car, but she was not. Police said the engine was still running.
- What searches were conducted?
- The Huron Township Fire Department searched accessible parts of the nearby Huron River. The Huron Township Police Department, Huron Township Fire Department, Metroparks Police Department, and Michigan State Police conducted aerial drone searches and a K9 ground search. None located her.
- Was Kimberly a DoorDash driver?
- She worked as a DoorDash and Uber Eats driver, according to her family.
- How can I help?
- Share this case file. If you were near Hannan Road in Huron Township on October 9 or 10, 2026, contact the Huron Township Police Department at 734-753-4400.
Sources
Official / law enforcement: Huron Township Department of Public Safety missing-person appeal (Facebook, October 2026; quoted in news coverage); tip line 734-753-4400; Police Chief Everette Robbins statements via press interviews.
News: New York Post, “DoorDash driver Kimberly McGrath missing days after her car was found crashed into tree with belongings inside” (October 15, 2026) — https://nypost.com/2026/10/15/us-news/doordash-driver-kimberly-mcgrath-missing-days-after-her-car-was-found-crashed-into-tree-with-belongings-inside/ (read directly; family statements via cousin Monica Doyle: DoorDash and Uber Eats driver, no history of mental illness, pet cat, last contact Oct 9; Chief Robbins: “We’re not ruling anything out”). The Detroit News — George Hunter reporting: wrecked vehicle near Lower Huron Metropark, purse and personal items inside, engine still running (October 2026). The Monroe News (October 16, 2026) — interview with Police Chief Everette Robbins: vehicle crashed into a tree near a driveway, badly damaged but still-running vehicle, per police; family interview with aunt Elizabeth Zaenger: “totally out of character,” “She’s never without her phone, and she would never leave her cat,” no history of mental illness, also worked as an Uber Eats driver. WDIV Local 4 / ClickOnDetroit — “Search continues for missing Southgate woman Kimberly McGrath” and “Family, police continue search for missing Southgate woman after car found crashed near Huron River” (official WDIV Local 4 YouTube channel, October 2026) — https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Er9_42d2Krw and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI9dv42EFr0 ; WDIV’s written report (as quoted in the Websleuths case thread, October 2026) adds: police received a crash notification from McGrath’s phone in the area of Hannan and Pennsylvania roads on Friday evening, and the vehicle was not found until the next day, when a neighbor went to mow the lawn and discovered it in a backyard, with a tree down and the Huron River just yards away. Hindustan Times, “Who is Kimberly McGrath? Search underway for missing Michigan woman whose car was found crashed and abandoned” (October 15, 2026, via articles.thelocalreport.in) — independently carries the Huron Township DPS statement, the 5’7″/150 lbs description, and Chief Robbins’s appeal to check outbuildings. Missing People in America — Kimberly McGrath case #10179 (created October 12, 2026): missing from Southgate, MI since October 9, 2026, age 43, 5’7″, 150 lbs, believed without her cell phone; Michigan Missing Person Unit (855) 642-4847 — https://missingpeopleinamerica.org/missing/Kimberly-McGrath.
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.