Coroner: Man found in snow died of hypothermia

UPDATE @ 1:45 p.m. May 1:

A 50-year-old man whose body was found in February behind a Maxwell Court residence died of hypothermia, according to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.

The autopsy report in the death of Brett R. McGough of Maxwell Court, Tipp City, was signed April 28 and listed “hypothermia due to cold environmental exposure” as the cause of death. Acute ethanol intoxication contributed to the death, Dr. Bryan D. Casto stated in the report, obtained from Miami County Coroner Dr. Bill Ginn.

McGough’s body was found in the snow behind a residence around 7 a.m. Feb. 23. The temperature at the time was 1 degree, Miami County sheriff’s investigators said. Deputies said they found a keyring in the snow next to an unlocked truck in McGough’s driveway.

The final sheriff’s report said McGough last was seen the previous evening at the VFW in Vandalia. A friend told deputies he and McGough left at the same time, around 8:30 p.m., but did not walk out to their vehicles together.

UPDATE @ 3:40 p.m. Feb. 25:

A preliminary autopsy report showed a 50-year-old whose body was found Monday morning behind a Maxwell Court residence “most likely died of hypothermia,” acting Miami County Coroner Dr. Chris Grove said today.

A ruling in the death of Brett R. McGough of Maxwell Court, Tipp City, won’t be made until toxicology test results are received in six to eight weeks, Grove said.

McGough’s death remains under investigation by the county sheriff’s department.

Grove and sheriff’s investigators said foul play is not suspected. McGough’s body was found in the snow behind a residence around 7 a.m. Monday. The temperature at the time was around 1 degree, according to the sheriff’s investigators’ initial report.

Deputies said they found a key ring in the snow next to an unlocked truck in McGough’s driveway. They continue work to trace his whereabouts in the hours before his body was found. A relative told investigators McGough possibly was last seen at the VFW in Vandalia.

FIRST REPORT, Feb. 23:

Hypothermia may have played a role in the death of a 49-year-old man found Monday morning in the backyard of a home on Maxwell Court in Tipp City, investigators said.

The body of Brett R. McGough was found in the snow by Miami County sheriff’s deputies.

The body was taken to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office. Acting Miami County Coroner Dr. Chris Grove said an autopsy is pending, but the death did not appear suspicious.

Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Dave Duchak said Monday that foul play is not suspected.

According to the initial investigation, deputies found a key ring in the snow next to a truck parked in the driveway. The vehicle was unlocked. Investigators were attempting to trace McGough’s actions in the hours before his death.

The temperature was estimated at around 1 degree, according to the report.

Deputies contacted a relative, who said McGough possibly was last seen at the VFW hall in Vandalia. A time was not listed on the report.