News Photo by Julie Riddle A police helicopter flies over wooded property near the intersection of Lacomb and Haken roads in Alpena Township on Wednesday.

ALPENA — Police on Wednesday used a dog and a helicopter to search near the intersection of Lacomb and Haken roads in Alpena Township, an area linked to the man who owns the property where police last week found the body of Alpena teen Brynn Bills.

For several hours Wednesday afternoon, Michigan State Police vehicles parked at several locations at and near the intersection and a police helicopter circled the area for at least an hour. Officers and a police dog could be seen walking into the woods south of the intersection shortly before 3 p.m., coming out and driving away from the area less than 30 minutes later with no obvious indication they’d found anything.

Police searched the area to follow up on possible leads, 1st. Lt. John Grimshaw, commander of the State Police-Alpena Post, said in a text to The News on Wednesday. He would not specify what investigation the search was part of.

However, according to police records, Joshua Wirgau on Sept. 21 allegedly ordered a man to drive him, Brad Srebnik, and Abby Hill to the area of Lacomb and Haken while Wirgau held a gun to the man’s head and Hill and Srebnik were armed with firearms.

Wirgau and Srebnik have been arraigned on multiple charges related to the alleged incident.

Officials have issued warrants for Hill over the alleged incident, but police said Tuesday Hill is now missing and possibly endangered.

Police found Bills’ body last week buried in Wirgau’s back yard on Naylor Road, about a five-minute drive from the Lacomb-Haken intersection.

Pending autopsy results, police have not yet ruled Bills’ death a homicide, but Wirgau is a person of interest in police’s investigation into Bills’ death.

Hill and Bills also apparently knew each other. The two were Facebook friends.

Court records indicate Srebnik lived near the Lacomb-Haken intersection in 2020, though that is not his address listed in court documents related to the current charges against him.