That's the key. I need to prove if that did or did not happen. I believe it did not — the memo title was issued when there was still a lien, then the title was released without lien and there it stopped. Kansas says there's no title anymore, Michigan says there's no title yet.

I did finally talk to a knowledgeable person; she told me about the memo lien and insists no "negotiable Michigan title" was ever issued.

I think I have all the pieces here: Kansas' statement they sent the title to Michigan; Michigan's statement that other than a memo title that predates Kansas' release, there is no Michigan title.

So, sequence of events:

1. Owner bought the car. Kansas issued a title with a lien.
2. Owner moved to Michigan. Michigan issued a memo title.
3. Owner paid off loan. Kansas released the title without a lien. Mailed a printed title to Michigan.
4. Owner can't find title, wants a reissue, Michigan won't reissue because there never was a Michigan title.

I just don't know how to put the pieces together and what to do next. Stay tuned, though, who knows what will happen next.