ANN ARBOR, MI – A waterproofing company and a recent breakup were the catalysts to a homicide in Washtenaw County earlier this year, according to documents released by police.
Michael Anthony Elinski, 59, was found dead on Friday January 20, a day after police said he shot and killed his former girlfriend. Records obtained by the Pittsfield Township Police Department in response to a Freedom of Information Act request to MLive/The Ann Arbor News show that a waterproofing contractor, a breakup and mental health issues were factors in the fatal shooting.
Andrea Grant, 50, of Plymouth, was found dead in her car outside the Thrive Training Facility on Block 3700 of Plaza Drive on Thursday January 19. According to a coroner’s report, Grant had been shot eight times – twice in the neck and head and six times in the body.
Michael Elinski, Grant’s former boyfriend, was quickly identified as a suspect by police.
“I’m not here to defend him in any way,” Kyle Elinski, Michael Elinski’s son, told MLive/The Ann Arbor News. His father was a good person to many people but struggled with mental health issues, he said.
Other members of Michael Elinski’s family declined to comment. Grant’s family did not respond to requests for comment.
The relationship
According to Kyle Elinski, Michael Elinski grew up in Detroit and graduated from Cody High School. He served in the US Army in the 1980’s and started his waterproofing company about 15 years ago. Kyle Elinski took over the company in 2017.
According to an obituary published by the Schrader-Howell Funeral Home, Grant was best known for how much she loved her two daughters.
“Whether it was being voted homecoming queen, winning a softball scholarship, being the director of a Fortune 100 company, or starting a new company, Andrea was a rock star,” reads her Obituary. “She was unique in her class, able to juggle two laptops, three phones, a volleyball schedule, family gatherings and an exercise regimen while also taking the time to stay in touch with everyone she loved and supported.”
The couple met a few years ago, according to the police report, when Grant approached Michael Elinski’s company to have her basement waterproofed. The couple began dating shortly after, and Grant soon joined the company, the report said. According to LARA documents, she became the owner in 2021.
The couple appeared to be in a happy relationship, Kyle Elinski told police, but his father was struggling with increasing mental health issues. Michael Elinski had blocked family members with whom he normally had a close relationship on his cellphone, leaving “obsessive” voicemails and text messages for Grant, his son said.
Despite the deteriorating mental situation, friends and family of Michael Elinski tried to get him help, according to the police report.
Grant’s personal trainer at Thrive told police she spoke to Grant often about their relationship and said Grant said she was concerned for Elinksi’s emotional stability, the police report said.
The Separation
Grant split from Michael Elinski in June 2022, according to a personal protection order she had in place against him.
“[Michael Elinski]has always been an unpredictable and erratic personality, but over the past year and especially the past six months, things have gotten out of hand,” Grant wrote in her request for the order.
In the request, she also cited previous physical abuse Elinksi committed against former partners and how he bullied employees, contractors, friends and family.
Grant, now the sole owner of the company, fired Michael Elinski about five weeks before police said he killed her, the police report said. Megan Elinski, the daughter of Michael Elinski, told police the firing was because “her father was so mean and disrespectful,” investigators wrote in the report.
The day after police said he shot Grant, Michael Elinksi was found dead in his car in Clare. According to the police report, his death was ruled a suicide. At the time he was living in Brooklyn, Michigan.
Kyle Elinski said he hopes Grant’s daughters will eventually find peace.
“[Grant]tried to help my dad to the end. She never gave up on him; She just wanted to help him,” Kyle Elinski said. “She did what she could. She has done so much for him. It’s just inexplicable how hard she tried.”
He encouraged those struggling with mental health issues to reach out to us.
“It’s okay to get help,” he said. “It’s okay to talk to someone, and often.”
Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts can seek help from:
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s 24-hour helpline at 988 The Ozone House, a 24-hour youth helpline at 734-662-2222. The University of Michigan Psychiatric Emergency Services 24-hour hotline at 734-936-5900. The Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Crisis Response Team at 734-544-3050.
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