Michael Johnson ID’d as body found in Brentwood by homicide squad

The body of a man with severe head wounds was found Tuesday in a wooded area near an apartment complex in Brentwood, Suffolk police said.

Authorities identified the man as Michael Johnson, 29, of Central Islip and said they are investigating his death as a homicide.

Two people walking on a path between Second and Suffolk avenues made the discovery behind the Broadway West Apartments, just east of Springfield Road, said Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer, head of the homicide unit.

The man, who lived with his father, was last seen alive Thursday, said Beyrer, who declined to say who saw Johnson last and where.

Investigators found identification on Johnson and are looking into his background, talking to his family and trying to find witnesses to build a picture of what may have happened, Beyrer said.

“It’s a massive head injury, and the autopsy will determine the exact mechanism of the injury,” he said. “We can’t say for sure how long he’d been dead, but we don’t think it was an excessive amount of time.”

No weapons were recovered at the crime scene, the homicide detective said.

He declined to say whether evidence indicated Johnson had been killed in the small clearing or whether his body was placed there.

“We don’t know how he got to be in the woods,” Beyrer said.

The motive for the killing was unclear, police said.

Efforts to reach Johnson’s family Tuesday night were unsuccessful.

Police ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 800-220-8477.

With Tania Lopez