Coroner reveals cause of death of woman found in ditch

UPDATE@7:09 p.m.:

The Dayton woman whose frozen body was found in a ditch on Germantown Pike Monday afternoon died of multiple trauma, officials said Wednesday, noting that she may have been struck by a hit-and-run driver.

The manner in which Pamela Price, 60, died is considered an accident, according to the Montgomery County Coroner’s office.

On Saturday, Price was supposed to visit her daughter, who lives a block from where Price’s body was found in the 4700 block of Germantown Pike to help plan her grandson’s birthday party. But she never showed up, said her daughter Jekesha Price.

The family didn’t think anything was wrong because they are accustomed to Price not contacting them for days at a time, her daughter said. She noted that chips and other party treats were nearby when a woman attempting to feed a stray dog discovered the body.

“I can only imagine what she was going through,” Jekesha Price said of her mother. “Maybe she cried out for help and no one came.”

The younger Price said her mother often rode the bus when she traveled to Jekesha’s house. She thinks Price may have been hit by a car while attempting to cross the street.

“I believe it is possible that somebody knew they hit something and kept going,” she said. “I wish I could have stopped that car.”

Police have said they will not comment on the incident until they receive a full autopsy report from the coroner to determine how to investigate Price’s death.

Some of Price grandchildren are too young to understand what happened, but her oldest grandson who the party was being planned for is handling the situation well, Jekesha Price said.

“He was the first born grandson,” she said. “Usually boys don’t want to cry in front of their mother but he is doing okay.”

The family hopes police finds the person responsible for their mother’s death.

“We’re forgiving people,” said Price. “Just own up to what you did and we can get the closure that we need as a family.”

UPDATE@2:25 p.m.:

Pamela Price’s immediate cause of death is multiple trauma, according to the Montgomery County Coroner’s office, nothing that the manner of death is considered an accident.

UPDATE@ noon, Feb. 18: Pamela Price often kept to herself and her family was accustomed to not hearing from her for days at a time. So when she didn't show up at her daughter's house Saturday to help plan her grandson's birthday party, they didn't suspect that something was wrong, her daughter Jekesha Price said Wednesday. Chips and other party treats were nearby when Price's frozen body was found in a ditch Monday afternoon, her daughter said. The ditch is across the house from the younger Price's house, she said.

UPDATE @ 4p.m. Feb. 17: The body found in a ditch along Germantown Pike has been identified as Pamela Price, 60, of Dayton, according to representatives with the Montgomery County Coroner's office.

The cause and nature of Price’s death will not be determined for several weeks.

UPDATE @ 7:17 p.m.: When Whitney Curtis noticed a stray dog that appeared to be hungry Monday afternoon, she attempted to feed it. But as she approached the canine, Curtis realized it was chewing on a frozen body in a ditch next to the Whitney Young Estates on Germantown Pike.

“I went over there to try to, you know, crouch down and feed the dog and that’s when I realized the dog was eating on a corpse,” she said. “I kind of panicked and called 911.”

A Montgomery County Coroner’s Office official said the body could have been in the ditch for several days, and that an autopsy likely wouldn’t be done until Wednesday to allow the body to thaw.

Dayton police spokeswoman Cara Zinski-Neace said the body appears to be an adult but the sex is unknown. Police will determined the type of investigation to conduct after the coroner conducts an autopsy, she said.

“It’s too soon for us to say anything about what it is,” Zinski-Neace said. “The coroner needs to investigate and then we’ll take that information, so we have to wait until the autopsy can be performed.”

The coroner’s investigator at the scene said the last day warm enough for standing water not to be frozen was Feb. 8, and that may have been when the person ended up in the ditch. A preliminary cause of death could not be determined Monday.

The dog’s whereabouts were unknown Monday evening.

In her 911 call to dispatchers, Curtis said she thought the body, which was partially covered with snow, was wearing khaki pants, brown Nike boots and pink gloves. “This person’s dead,” Curtis said on the call. “It’s been sitting here for days and nobody noticed.”

Curtis said she noticed the dog when she walked across the road to the nearby Citizen Mart, returned home for some bread for the dog and then approached.

“The body was in the water,” she said. “One of the legs was frozen and covered in snow. I could tell from the waist down that it was a person.”

Curtis said she hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary in the area recently.

“I watch the news every day,” she said. “I haven’t seen anything on the news about anybody missing around this area or anything.”

Police had blocked off Germantown Pike near the 4500 block just before the border with Jefferson Twp. and diverted traffic through a neighborhood during the investigation.

“It was a scary sight for me to see,” Curtis said.

UPDATE @ 2:25 p.m.: The body was recovered and taken to the Montgomery County Coroner's Office for an autopsy.

Investigators said the body was frozen to the ground and could have been there several days before it was noticed.

A preliminary cause of death could not be determined at the scene.

UPDATE @ 1:40 p.m.: Dispatchers confirm Dayton police have blocked off Germantown Pike for a death investigation.

It is unclear when Germantown Pike will reopen.

FIRST REPORT

Part of Germantown Pike in Dayton is completely blocked because of a police investigation.

Drivers are not allowed on the road between Coulson Drive and Liscum Drive.

Our crew on the scene said there was a lot of police tape in the area, but officers haven’t said what their investigation is about just yet.

We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.