Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson says he used a “red herring” through the news media to help catch a suspected killer.
On July 6, 38-year-old Orhan Hosic was found dead in his Fenton Township home.
Within days, investigators believed 29-year-old Omar Brogdon was their likely suspect. Swanson says the two men were involved in a business transaction, after meeting through Facebook Marketplace.
But investigators did not know Brogdon’s whereabouts.
Just before a July 9 press briefing, the sheriff’s department obtained information suggesting Brogdon was monitoring news media coverage of the case and may watch Sheriff Swanson’s Facebook live broadcast of his news media briefing.
Swanson said at a news conference Monday, he decided to tell reporters the investigation was in fact “stalled”, when in fact it was not.
“I wanted him to know that he could come out from under the shadows…he could not destroy evidence…he doesn’t need to cause we didn’t know who it was,” said Swanson, “All the while we knew he was following those stories.”
Brogdon was arrested last week. He’s been charged with multiple felony crimes, including murder.
The sheriff describes his use of what he calls “a red herring” through the news media as an “investigative tool.”
