Man found dead by mowing crews near Huber Heights school identified

HUBER HEIGHTS — Huber Heights police are investigating a suspicious death after a man’s body was found off Chambersburg Road near St. Peter School Monday afternoon, said Sgt. Brian Carr with Huber Heights Police.

Police were called to the area of the 6100 block of Chambersburg Road after a mowing crew reported finding the body, according to initial dispatch reports. Huber Heights police said the body appears to have been there for “quite some time.”

The man was identified Tuesday as Bradley Smith, 38, of Huber Heights, according to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.

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Carr said two realistic looking BB guns were also recovered near Smith’s body.

The 911 caller told dispatchers, “when I turn around and I see his face, his face is all purple and bruised up.”

The caller described the scene and what he believed happened, “it looked like he was shot here and he stumbled over...”

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Carr said there was no obvious trauma to Smith’s body when it was found and there were no obvious signs of foul play. Investigators are waiting on the autopsy, including toxicology, to determine how he died.

“The pastor and principal were immediately notified, as were the local authorities. Kelly Kadel, principal of St. Peter school, spoke directly with Chief Mark Lightner of the Huber Heights Police Department and she was assured that this matter poses no threat to any students or staff at the school,” the Archdiocese of Cincinnati said in a statement. “The school quickly informed parents of the police presence on the campus and kept students away from the area of investigation. The safety of students, teachers, and staff is of paramount importance to St. Peter Parish and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.”

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