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

[Gunslinging Granny]

Bathing 5x times a day is excessive, using the bathroom 5x a day, ok sure but not taking full baths or showers. It sounds like OCD behavior or was using it as an excuse to hide out in the bathroom.
Do teens often try to scale down chimneys headfirst at 6 am by themselves without friends?
This seems more like a stunt that would involve being dared, or drunk/high with friends not alone. Was he on any psych meds like Elisa Lam? Anyone know? I'm late to this case.

It sounds like he was seeking privacy in the bathroom to do things that 14-yr-old boys do.

 

[Kiranerys]

So sad. A tragic accident.
I can't really see someone climbing up there with him and shoving him down the chimney.

What if he did meet someone that day another kid from school maybe?,could of egged eachother on to go up there and when Harley fell the other kid panicked?, it's not very likely to me at all because I'm sure that the fear if your friend being in such a dangerous situation would over ride the fear of getting in trouble but you never know I guess,I mean I find it incredibly hard to fathom Harley going down there at all,but evidently he did.

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

Our home was built in 1820 and we have a similar situation. Except both 2nd and 1st level openings have been sealed off. I guess they keep the chimney in place for ventilation? I always think it’s a waste of heat when I see what appears to be smoke (just heat) escaping from it on the cold days.

There is absolutely zero opening to our fireplace. You can tell where it was based off of how the wall juts out. I’m thankful this wasn’t the case here or this poor boy may have not been found until the owners opened the wall (if they ever did).

I’m just heartbroken over this. The thought that Harley must’ve had when he realized he was stuck is just so sad.

BBM
Unless you have baseboard heat, your furnace is vented up your chimney.

 

[skywalker20]

He was seen on camera:

"Police also announced that a surveillance camera captured an image they believe to be Dilly between the hours of 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. on December 20. It was taken in the area between Harley’s residence on E. 5th Street and the Port Clinton High & Middle School Campus."

source: Body of missing Port Clinton teen Harley Dilly found in chimney of unoccupied house

yes, but nothing apart from that!

 

[JaneEyre]

What??!! Just left the chimney in place and sealed off the fireplace?

I don’t think it ever had a fireplace. But there are many reasons to leave a chimney in place. If anyone ever decides to put a fireplace or gas logs in, this is right there to use. I like older homes and would never remove an old chimney. We had two in our old house and we left them in place, hoping to get all 3 fireplaces working someday. Two of these shared a chimney. We did get one old coal fireplace refit with gas logs. Other people might decide to put a wood burner in, as a friend of mine did, using an existing chimney to put the vent pipe through.

Edited to add - I think there was a third chimney in the kitchen where they had a coal stove. That chimney was eventually used to vent the furnace through.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I hope Harley's parents will be able to find peace someday.
I think most parents would have said kiddo, you have no fever, no cough, go to your last day of school before the holiday. And this misadventure still would have happened.
So please let's be kind to a family that had a tragic end to what should have just been a chaotic overtired, perhaps stressed, morning... but not this.
Hopefully their community will wrap them in grace and compassion at this time.

 

[JaneEyre]

BBM
Unless you have baseboard heat, your furnace is vented up your chimney.

Yes, I think what she’s seeing is exhaust from her furnace. Nobody loses enough heat through an uncapped chimney to see “smoke.”

 

[shefner]

Something in me cannot accept that Harley died due to an accident of this nature. Part of me reasons that when something bad happens, then someone must be to blame. You just have so much anger you want to put on someone. And in an accident, there is no where for your blame to go. So there is that.

But there is also the basic thought that Harley, at age 14, would know that going down a chimney would be dirty. And he was obsessed with being clean. So why would he even think of going on the roof? I can certainly see what someone else has said, that perhaps he was looking down and dropped his glasses into the chimney opening. But why would he shove his coat down too? And how could he do all of this on the rooftop without anyone seeing him?

In my mind, I struggle to imagine going down a hole the side of a 9 x 13" baking dish. It seems impossible. I even spoke with a chimney guy on another outlet who said he had been building chimneys for years and said, "There is no way in hell that 14 year old kid, even if he was small, could get in a 9 x 13 flue liner." So we are all perplexed. And in the end we are all sad.

Rest In Peace Harley. You are loved.

 

[Tutter]

Expert explains chimney design to surmise how Harley Dilly's coat, glasses were on 2nd floor of house

Local talk from an expert explaining the possible structure and fall through a chimney.

Edit: Oops, looks like someone beat me to it.

still confused. The homeowner said there is NO fireplace, so I assume the small porthole is where the glasses and coat had to come out since there is no fireplace opening for anything to fall. So the items had to be pushed out through the porthole by Harley in the chimney, they could not fall out of the porthole on their own.

I wish the media cared about facts as much as we do.

 

[x_files]

Our home was built in 1820 and we have a similar situation. Except both 2nd and 1st level openings have been sealed off. I guess they keep the chimney in place for ventilation? I always think it’s a waste of heat when I see what appears to be smoke (just heat) escaping from it on the cold days.

There is absolutely zero opening to our fireplace. You can tell where it was based off of how the wall juts out. I’m thankful this wasn’t the case here or this poor boy may have not been found until the owners opened the wall (if they ever did).

I’m just heartbroken over this. The thought that Harley must’ve had when he realized he was stuck is just so sad.

Thank you, for the info.

I'm not sure a teen would think hey, I'll scale down a tiny opening to explore a house. It seems really bizarre to me.

 

[Betty P]

still confused. The homeowner said there is NO fireplace, so I assume the small porthole is where the glasses and coat had to come out since there is no fireplace opening for anything to fall. So the items had to be pushed out through the porthole by Harley in the chimney, they could not fall out of the porthole on their own.

I wish the media cared about facts as much as we do.

It's more likely that LE is providing very little information to the news media. Could be they're trying to protect the homeowner from a lawsuit or something. At this point, they probably want the public to stop paying attention to the tragic incident. Not agreeing, but its how LE sometimes works in this state.

 

[x_files]

Something in me cannot accept that Harley died due to an accident of this nature. Part of me reasons that when something bad happens, then someone must be to blame. You just have so much anger you want to put on someone. And in an accident, there is no where for your blame to go. So there is that.

But there is also the basic thought that Harley, at age 14, would know that going down a chimney would be dirty. And he was obsessed with being clean. So why would he even think of going on the roof? I can certainly see what someone else has said, that perhaps he was looking down and dropped his glasses into the chimney opening. But why would he shove his coat down too? And how could he do all of this on the rooftop without anyone seeing him?

In my mind, I struggle to imagine going down a hole the side of a 9 x 13" baking dish. It seems impossible. I even spoke with a chimney guy on another outlet who said he had been building chimneys for years and said, "There is no way in hell that 14 year old kid, even if he was small, could get in a 9 x 13 flue liner." So we are all perplexed. And in the end we are all sad.

Rest In Peace Harley. You are loved.

Agreed. Unless he was dared, shoved, pushed, or slipped headfirst into the chimney.
I have a hard time thinking anyone would think that's a great idea unless drunk, or extremely high and looked down and slipped.

 

[x_files]

It sounds like he was seeking privacy in the bathroom to do things that 14-yr-old boys do.

That makes more sense.

 

[Bellecent]

A flue opening (smaller hole)
Everything is explained multiple times back a few pages. There are even photos of chimneys and flue openings on previous pages.

See the hole in the chimney. That is a flue opening. They are usually capped off when not in use, but the cap comes off. While inside the chimney, Harley might have kicked off the flue cap or maybe it didn't have a cap. That hole is how his jacket and glasses got inside the house.
View attachment 226005

Thank you for the picture. Oh my this poor child.

 

[Betty P]

What if he did meet someone that day another kid from school maybe?,could of egged eachother on to go up there and when Harley fell the other kid panicked?, it's not very likely to me at all because I'm sure that the fear if your friend being in such a dangerous situation would over ride the fear of getting in trouble but you never know I guess,I mean I find it incredibly hard to fathom Harley going down there at all,but evidently he did.

It's happened before, unfortunately. If you read several pages back in this thread, you'll find quite a few examples listed. Usually teens or young adults. Sometimes people who are drunk, on drugs, etc. The brain of a 14 yo is not yet fully developed and they often take a lot of risks thinking they won't be hurt.

Maybe it would help if more homeowners placed those caps with screens on their chimneys. We have them on ours. It's no guarantee, but it could deter someone. It's also very effective at keeping squirrels, raccoons and birds out. Also rain and snow. Helps your chimney last longer.

chimney cap screen - بحث Google

 

[allboys]

Yes. 14 year olds are not very sophisticated especially with thinking of the consequences/ dangers of their actions. The chimney probably looked big enough to him. Kids hear all sorts of warnings- look both ways before you cross a street, wear your seat belt, don't talk to strangers. But when do we ever say not to go down chimneys? It is rare that a 14 year old believes in Santa, but the whole Santa idea could have put in his head that getting down a chimney is an option.

I wish Harley had seen the episode of Modern Family in which Dylan got stuck in the chimney (in a Santa suit).

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

Something in me cannot accept that Harley died due to an accident of this nature. Part of me reasons that when something bad happens, then someone must be to blame. You just have so much anger you want to put on someone. And in an accident, there is no where for your blame to go. So there is that.

But there is also the basic thought that Harley, at age 14, would know that going down a chimney would be dirty. And he was obsessed with being clean. So why would he even think of going on the roof? I can certainly see what someone else has said, that perhaps he was looking down and dropped his glasses into the chimney opening. But why would he shove his coat down too? And how could he do all of this on the rooftop without anyone seeing him?

In my mind, I struggle to imagine going down a hole the side of a 9 x 13" baking dish. It seems impossible. I even spoke with a chimney guy on another outlet who said he had been building chimneys for years and said, "There is no way in hell that 14 year old kid, even if he was small, could get in a 9 x 13 flue liner." So we are all perplexed. And in the end we are all sad.

Rest In Peace Harley. You are loved.

We don't know that he was obsessed with cleanliness. We do know that he entered his bathtub more times than normal each day. What this naked adolescent boy did in the privacy of his bathtub multiple times a day is unknown.

 

[Rhenish]

Praying that Harley will rest in peace. What an utterly sad case.

 

[Linda7NJ]

I don’t think I have ever heard of a girl doing such a thing. Interesting huh? Boys are just wired differently. I wasn’t even shocked when we learned how Harley died. Having raised a son, I understand how they just do not perceive danger, or if they do...they discount them.
My own thought it was a good idea to jump from the roof (two story house) onto our trampoline. That’s just one example. I’d say ages 10-12 were the most dangerous. ER staff would recognize us.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Spoke too soon...