Found Deceased OH - Harley Dilly, 14, walking to Port Clinton High School, 20 Dec 2019 #4

[Seattle1]

I don't know that we know this answer, but there must have been the smell of decomposition. It would have been outside of the home too.

Or maybe investigators finally noticed the lockbox on the back door of the house and realized HD could in-fact have entered via lockbox and secured the door again from the inside-- making the house appear secure with no sign of entry. I also recall media comments about the winter temps and sealed brick would be like a cooler -- that helped lessen any smell. Just glad that Harley can be put to rest.

 

[KCmetwo]

This is so disturbing in so many ways.

I have actually heard that Joshua's case was found to be connected to a few other murders. Not sure on that 100% as the last person Joshua was with has a lengthy rap sheet and isn't in the state anymore, but it's still being investigated last I knew and I was getting that info around the time of the trial for Patrick Frazee.

 

[Seattle1]

View attachment 225945
The flue or chimney in this old house does not exit into lovely antique fireplaces. Someone covered up/blocked off the fireplaces (and put in baseboard electric heat), but the chimney/flue remained and was capped off. It wasn't removed. People don't remove a chimney/flue because it would be outrageously costly to rip out walls to remove the chimney/flue and you might want to use it again.

Perhaps this would make more sense if the homeowner said the fireplace is no longer in use and replaced with baseboard heat, instead of saying "there is no fireplace" -- which leaves one to question what interior opening did his coat and glasses fall through to be visible to investigators.

 

[stephlovescheese]

View attachment 225945
The flue or chimney in this old house does not exit into lovely antique fireplaces. Someone covered up/blocked off the fireplaces, but the chimney/flue remained and was capped off. It wasn't removed. People don't remove a chimney/flue because it would be outrageously costly to rip out walls to remove the chimney/flue and you might want to use it again.

Thank you for the diagram- that is helpful. And i don’t mean to harp on this, i just don’t understand it. If the fireplace was covered with drywall, how did his jacket and glasses make it outside of the fireplace? This is the part i’m not understanding.

 

[margarita25]

I’ve seen on HGTV how they cover up the fireplace during remodelings. I will shudder every time I see this in the future, just like when I see those stupid oil tanks.

 

[bellyup]

Thank you for the diagram- that is helpful. And i don’t mean to harp on this, i just don’t understand it. If the fireplace was covered with drywall, how did his jacket and glasses make it outside of the fireplace? This is the part i’m not understanding.

This photo shows an example of a flue in a home built around the same time. Some are this size. Some are square or little larger. The damper is inside and slants to this opening (so animals & debris can get out). This photo really helped me understand better how it could happen. (Photo from google images)
Note some homes at the time hooked wood burning furnaces into this opening.

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

Thank you for the diagram- that is helpful. And i don’t mean to harp on this, i just don’t understand it. If the fireplace was covered with drywall, how did his jacket and glasses make it outside of the fireplace? This is the part i’m not understanding.

They somehow were pushed or poked through the flue opening.

Another example: I have a flue opening in my newer house in the game room wall. It is a capped off, small hole near where there used to be a free standing, wood-burning stove. It is the hole where the wood-burning stove vented into the chimney.

 

[KCmetwo]

R.I.P. Poor dear Harley.
Many young teenagers will only see the antenna tower and chimney as a challenge to be cnquered and posted online. Mis-adventure at it's worst. right up there with caving and that somewhat new obsession of going into empty locked up buildings, tunnels etc. All to be posted on you tube.
IMO- I feel an antenna tower should be considered as a public nuisance. Like a swimming pool. Lock up access or something. Make it more difficult to climb it.
Sad. So very very sad.

An Antenna COULD be considered a public nuisance, HOWEVER they are very useful for many reasons. Cellphone towers use antenna's to keep service going to customers, the tower such as the one near this house, can be used for ham radios (emergency radio) and also as a lightning rod which can help prevent fires during bad storms.

IMO chimneys should have a VENTED cover of sorts on them, that way a person isn't able to get INTO it, the owner doesn't have to worry about liabilities and they can also keep it clean.

 

[bellyup]

I’ve seen on HGTV how they cover up the fireplace during remodelings. I will shudder every time I see this in the future, just like when I see those stupid oil tanks.

This wasn’t a fireplace cover up. This home wasn’t built with a fireplace according to property records. It was built in 1850 and had a chimney meant to vent a coal or oil furnace (possibly wood burners) that was likely in the basement.

 

[margarita25]

This wasn’t a fireplace cover up. This home wasn’t built with a fireplace according to property records. It was built in 1850 and had a chimney meant to vent a coal or oil furnace that was likely in the basement.

Oh wow....

 

[stephlovescheese]

Thank you @bellyup and @Gunslinging Granny - i think i get it now.

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

This wasn’t a fireplace cover up. This home wasn’t built with a fireplace according to property records. It was built in 1850 and had a chimney meant to vent a coal or oil furnace that was likely in the basement.

Okay. It would have a coal burner in the basement and a coal stove upstairs. They also have to be vented out the chimney. This is coal country, so it makes sense that they burned coal and not wood.

 

[Meloni88]

I have actually heard that Joshua's case was found to be connected to a few other murders. Not sure on that 100% as the last person Joshua was with has a lengthy rap sheet and isn't in the state anymore, but it's still being investigated last I knew and I was getting that info around the time of the trial for Patrick Frazee.

I thought the case was closed but not well investigated. That friend of Joshua's was connected to an eerily similar death in Mexico (or maybe it was New Mexico).

 

[margarita25]

I have actually heard that Joshua's case was found to be connected to a few other murders. Not sure on that 100% as the last person Joshua was with has a lengthy rap sheet and isn't in the state anymore, but it's still being investigated last I knew and I was getting that info around the time of the trial for Patrick Frazee.

I thought the case was closed but not well investigated. That friend of Joshua's was connected to an eerily similar death in Mexico (or maybe it was New Mexico).

(This is the first I think I’m hearing about this possibly not being an accident...here is Josh’s thread, perhaps we can pick up this discussion over there, I’ve brought these two quotes over to that discussion:

Found Deceased - CO - Joshua Maddux, 18, Woodland Park, 8 May 2008 )

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

Thank you for the diagram- that is helpful. And i don’t mean to harp on this, i just don’t understand it. If the fireplace was covered with drywall, how did his jacket and glasses make it outside of the fireplace? This is the part i’m not understanding.

Maybe they were found after breaking to through the drywall,because they could smell decay eminating from there.

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

Maybe they were found after breaking to through the drywall,because they could smell decay eminating from there.

The police chief said today that his glasses and jacket were found outside the flue.

 

[bellyup]

Okay. It would have a coal burner in the basement and coal stoves upstairs. They also have to be vented out the chimney. This is coal country, so it makes sense that they burned coal and not wood.
View attachment 225949

Exactly. So they were vented into the holes that in this house seem like they were left open. I saw a lot of renovation pages that say to leave it open for cleaning or animals. Or if you ever want to use a vented free standing heater in the home again.

Sometimes if they aren’t going to be used these chimneys are permanently capped off because they are dangerous for wildlife seeking warmth. How I wish this one had been.

Edit to add: I looked at Ohio laws and it seems be a legal requirement that chimneys are at least screened within 12” of the opening or capped with a vented cement cap. This may not apply to historical building though.

 

[Warwick7]

I am stunned.....
I feel so heart broken for him.

 

[Linda7NJ]

I imagine he took his glass off first, threw his coat down second and went down headfirst & arms over head - - WAS SAID HARLEY pushed the coat out. Was it all the way out? I doubt it. But I’d bet the glasses made it out first and were spotted first

 

[userunnamed]

I'm confused how he passed away from being compressed. It was 9x13 so if he fit, then I feel like he fit. It wasn't 4x13. When I imagine someone dying from compressed asphyxiation I imagine it being from pressure on the front and back side of the body, but this sort of implies he was compressed from his sides. I'm assuming the width of his rib cage was less than either 13 or 9 inches. So that would mean he was compressed from the sides but wouldn't his rib cage protect that from happening?