Police said the woman died after an assault at a home near Middlebelt Road and Northwestern Highway.
FARMINGTON HILLS, MI — A Farmington Hills man was taken into custody Tuesday after police said his grandmother was fatally injured during a domestic violence-related assault at a home near Middlebelt Road and Northwestern Highway.
Police were called to the home Tuesday morning after a 911 report from inside the residence. Officers found the woman unconscious, moved her from the home and began medical care before she was taken to a hospital, where she died. The case is being investigated as a homicide, and officials had not released the names of the victim or suspect by early Tuesday afternoon.
Farmington Hills police said the call came in around 7:30 a.m. to 7:39 a.m. for a possible assault in progress. The home was described by police and local reports as being in the area of Gilchrest Street and the 31000 block of Middlebelt Road, near the entrance to the Franklin Knolls neighborhood. Farmington Hills Police Chief John Piggott said the victim lived at the home with two grandsons. “At this point we’re receiving conflicting reports as to what caused the injuries,” Piggott said, calling the killing “a senseless crime.”
Police said the suspect, identified only as the woman’s adult grandson, barricaded himself in a bedroom after officers arrived. Officers tried to get him to surrender, then broke a bedroom window and used PepperBall rounds before taking him into custody. Piggott said the suspect was not armed when he surrendered. Police said one other person, described as the suspect’s brother, was also inside the home at the time. Officials did not report injuries to responding officers or to the other person in the house.
Investigators said early evidence suggested the woman suffered blunt force trauma to the head and that an object may have been used. Police had not publicly identified the object or said whether it had been recovered. The woman was described as a grandmother and as being in her 70s, but authorities had not released her exact age. Police also had not released a detailed account of what happened before the 911 call or whether officers had been called to the home before Tuesday.
The investigation drew a large police presence to the residential area Tuesday as uniformed officers and detectives remained at the scene. Police said they were working to obtain search warrants to process the home and collect evidence. The location sits in a busy part of Farmington Hills near Middlebelt Road, Northwestern Highway and 13 Mile Road, where residential streets meet major commuter routes in Oakland County. The area remained an active crime scene for several hours after the suspect was taken into custody.
The suspect was expected to remain in custody while detectives continued the homicide investigation and prepared reports for prosecutors. No charges had been announced in the first public reports, and police did not say when the suspect would be arraigned. In Michigan homicide cases, investigators typically submit reports to the county prosecutor before formal charges are authorized. Police said more information could be released after evidence is processed and family notifications are complete.
Piggott said officers found the grandmother inside the home and pulled her to safety before medics took her to the hospital. The chief said the first responding officers faced a tense scene because the suspect was barricaded and the extent of the woman’s injuries was not yet clear. The department continued to describe the case as domestic violence-related, a term police use when violence involves people with a family or household relationship. Officials did not release a motive.
The case remained under investigation Tuesday afternoon, with the suspect in custody and detectives still working at the home. The next public milestone is expected when police release the victim’s identity or when prosecutors decide whether to authorize charges.
Author note: Last updated June 30, 2026.