ID released of body in burned vehicle

UPDATE @ 3:25 p.m. (Sept. 14)

Authorities Monday identified the body found last week inside a burning vehicle in Bethel Twp. as a 29-year-old Grove City man.

Dental records have confirmed the body discovered in a vehicle on Osburn Road Sept. 7 as Daryl Best, according to Major Russell Garman of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators have determined Best sustained multiple injuries, but it is unknown when the injuries occurred. A motive behind this homicide remains under investigation.

Sheriff Gene Kelly declined to provide additional information about Best’s injuries or cause of the death, saying the investigation into his death is ongoing.

“We’re working hard on it,” Kelly said. “There’s a lot more work to be done. We’ve made some progress. We have a positive identification. We’ve got two detectives that are working it full-time. We’re following every lead.”

Bethel Twp. firefighters were first dispatched just after 2 a.m. Sept. 7 when a passerby reported smoke in the area of Osborn Road just south of Interstate 70. An Ohio State Highway Patrol dispatcher said crews arrived on scene and found a vehicle parked behind a tree and fully engulfed in flames.

After quelling the flames, firefighters discovered a body inside, but not in the cabin of the vehicle, according to authorities.

Clark County deputies, detectives, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the State Fire Marshal’s Office were all dispatched to the scene.

The report showed the vehicle, a white 2014 Chevy Cruze, was later towed from the scene. Authorities also traced the vehicle to an owner in Hilliard, Ohio, according to the report.

The body was removed from the scene and transported to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, where an autopsy was performed.

Clark County Coroner Dr. Richard Marsh said a preliminary autopsy report will be available soon.

A completed autopsy on Best, however, will likely not be available until November, Montgomery County Coroner Office officials said.

UPDATE @ 12:45 p.m. (Sept. 14)

A body discovered in a burning vehicle has been identified as that of Daryl Best, 29, of Grove City, Ohio. Best had last been seen in the Columbus area on Sept. 6, according to a release from Major Russell Garman of Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

The body was identified by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office using dental records.

Investigators have determined Best sustained multiple injuries, but it is unknown when the injuries occurred. A motive behind this homicide remains under investigation.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Clark County Sheriff’s Office at 937-328-2560.

FIRST REPORT (Sept. 7)

A body was found early Monday morning at the scene of a car fire in Bethel Twp., but the cause of death is still under investigation.

Bethel Twp. firefighters were first dispatched just after 2 a.m. when a passerby reported smoke in the area of Osborn Road just south of Interstate 70. An Ohio State Highway Patrol dispatcher said crews arrived on scene and found a vehicle parked behind a tree and fully engulfed in flames.

After quelling the flames, firefighters discovered a body inside, according to Major Russell Garman, Operations Commander of the Criminal Investigation Section of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. Clark County deputies, detectives, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the State Fire Marshal’s Office were all dispatched to the scene.

Clark County Coroner investigators also responded to the scene, Clark County Coroner Dr. Richard Marsh said.

The body was removed from the scene and transported to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, where an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death, according to Garman.

Bethel Twp. Assistant Chief Chris Ludwick declined Monday afternoon to say where the body was located inside the car. He added that up until firefighters put out the fire, it was a car fire with no one around the scene.

Deputies on scene said their investigation will be lengthy and Osborn Road would be blocked for several hours.

Deputies and Marsh declined to provide details on the investigation.

This is the second time in less than two weeks a charred body was found around a vehicle in southwest Ohio. On Aug. 28, a homicide investigation began after the body of a man was found inside a car set on fire in Dayton, police said.

Police responded just before 4 a.m. Aug. 28 to the 2600 block of Ridge Avenue at Triangle Park. The charred remains of a man were discovered inside the car. The man also had a bullet wound, police said.

The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office on Monday said the identity of that victim has still not been determined. Records relating to the cause of death were also not available on Monday due the holiday, according to the coroner’s office.