DAYTON — Two men looking to buy a house discovered human skeletal remains inside, prompting police to launch an investigation involving homicide detectives.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, Dayton police were called to the house on Delphos Avenue south of Hoover Avenue just before 10 a.m. on reports of human remains found inside a house.
A preliminary investigation found the prospective homebuyers entered the home and found the body, which was described as ‘badly decomposed,’ Dayton Police Sgt. Creigee S. Coleman told News Center 7.
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Coleman added that the remains were skeletal because the body had apparently been there so long.
The discovery prompted a call for homicide detectives and a coroner’s office investigator.
So far, investigators have determined the remains found were human; however, they have not determined if it was a man or a woman, Coleman said.
The preliminary cause of death, and if there was any trauma to the body that would indicate foul play, has also not been determined and will be part of the investigation by both detectives and the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.
News Center 7’s John Bedell talked to a neighbor who said the house has been vacant for a while.
Lately, he’s noticed something else near the property.
“There was a foul, foul odor within the last maybe two weeks,” Dayton resident Donald Arnold said. “The stench is unbearable. I thought it was probably a deceased animal, so that’s why I never really did any closer smell tests.”
Dayton police are working with the homeowner to determine if there was anything suspicious they noticed and if there were any signs someone was trying to live in the vacant house.
Property records show the current owner lives in Miami County and bought the home at a sheriff’s auction in June.
News Center 7’s John Bedell got in touch with the owner, who said he has only walked through it once since he bought it.
He added that he’s noticed bones in the house before, but thought they belonged to an animal, so he didn’t report it.
Coleman asked for the public’s assistance to help with the police investigation.
If neighbors have video or saw something suspicious at the house, you’re urged to call Dayton police at 937-333-COPS.
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