Post by JoannaL on Jan 14, 2020 18:57:14 GMT -5
Body of Missing 14-Year-Old Ohio Boy Found in Chimney
Authorities in Port Clinton, Ohio, have found the body of Harley Dilly, a 14-year-old boy who went missing Friday, December 20, 2019. He was last seen around 6 a.m. wearing a maroon jacket on his way to school.
The 24-day search ended tragically last night when his body was discovered in the chimney of a vacant vacation house across the street from his family home. Port Clinton Police Chief Rob Hickman admitted the property had been checked multiple times throughout the search, however, all the windows and doors were locked and officers found no evidence of forced entry. However, when investigators decided to check the house yesterday, they discovered Dilly’s jacket and glasses in an upstairs fireplace. “It appears that Harley climbed an antenna tower to the roof and entered the chimney,” Hickman said. “Once in the chimney, Harley’s jacket and glasses were pushed from the chimney through a flue and into the second floor of the house. The chimney was blocked between the second and first floor, which trapped Harley.” The chimney opening measured approximately 9-by-13 inches.
According to the coroner’s report, Dilly died of “compressive asphyxia” from being trapped in the chimney.
Sources: Jon Stinchcomb, The Port Clinton News Herald, January 14, 2020, and Jay Skebba, The Toledo Blade, January 14, 2020.
