Found Deceased OH - Harley Dilly, 14, walking to Port Clinton High School, 20 Dec 2019 #5

[Seattle1]

So we are not talking about fireplaces, just a chimney to vent the heat from a stove pipe.
Could be. Very interesting thankx!

Odd, we don't know where on 2nd floor his coat and glasses were found. Fireplace? Stove pipe? Floor? Hole in the ceiling? Farther into the room? .... HUMMM...

I've been looking for this and finally found an explanation!!

Jan 15, 2020

The light green house with burgundy shutters should have been empty. Sitting on a tree-lined property just south of Lake Erie in a residential section of Port Clinton, Ohio, the summer home had been vacant and locked up for months.

But when authorities entered the residence Monday afternoon, they came across an unusual sight: a maroon puffer jacket and a pair of eyeglasses lay discarded on the second floor of the house near a brick chimney. The items weren’t left by the home’s previous occupants, Port Clinton Police Chief Robert Hickman said at a news conference Tuesday. They belonged to Harley Dilly, a 14-year-old who vanished almost a month ago. The missing boy, investigators would soon learn, was close by. ^^bbm

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/01/15/dilly-chimney-death/

 

[scdiv]

According to these articles, Harley climbed onto the roof and entered the home through the chimney then died in the chimney when he became compressed and couldn't get enough air.

Then he left his glasses and coat on the 2nd floor of the home.
How is this possible?

It's not possible. He somehow got inside safely then decided to go up the chimney for some reason. Probably removed his coat so it would not be such a tight squeeze. Sounds like he was exploring options of how to get in and out of the house...(opinion)

Something is missing from the story in my opinion.

"..Hickman said they found glasses and a coat matching those worn by Dilly on the second floor of the home. That resulted in crews finding Dilly's body lodged in the chimney.."

‘Horrible accident’: Body of missing Ohio teen found in chimney of vacant home

Dilly died in what police believe was an accident after climbing a TV antenna tower alongside the house, walking across the roof and entering the 9-inch-by-13-inch chimney, in which he became stuck and died due to compressive asphyxia, according to preliminary autopsy results.

Volunteers plan scholarship fund in honor of Harley Dilly

Theres no fireplace - just an 8” flu hole - like a VENT - visible on the second floor

An 8 inch diameter if you think about it, is somewhat large. It's 8 inches from every direction. Not big enough for a child to squeeze through especially with no room to maneuver, but big enough for glasses and even a malleable coat.

 

[TristanP]

I don't think there's any making sense of a teen climbing inside a chimney and dying of suffocation, essentially.

When I read that Harley was found across the street from his home -- stuck inside a chimney, the first thing I thought of was another missing Colorado teen that was finally located two blocks from his dad's home after missing for more than 7 years. His mummified body was found inside the chimney that he apparently entered headfirst. (Joshua Maddux).

I thought of the same thing. So incredibly sad.

 

[TristanP]

The US Constitution protects homeowners from illegal search and seizure. The police would either need the homeowners permission (which is what they got) or enough probable cause to obtain a search warrant. A locked door means no entry.

Of course, but they didn’t even try. I’m not saying they should have broken the door down and ransacked the place. Just a nice little phone call asking “may we please enter your unoccupied residence to ensure a missing teen didn’t find his way in somehow and meet his demise” shouldn’t have been too much to ask.

 

[Linda7NJ]

The article says there are no openings for a fireplace so how could he push his coat down and drop his glasses into the fireplace?

But perhaps the records are wrong and you are correct -- that his coat was pushed down and glasses dropped down into a fireplace the owners added to the house.
(off the records)

"...Records also indicate that the two-story house has no heat and does not have any openings for a fireplace...."

The house has baseboard heating

I've been looking for this and finally found an explanation!!

Jan 15, 2020

The light green house with burgundy shutters should have been empty. Sitting on a tree-lined property just south of Lake Erie in a residential section of Port Clinton, Ohio, the summer home had been vacant and locked up for months.

But when authorities entered the residence Monday afternoon, they came across an unusual sight: a maroon puffer jacket and a pair of eyeglasses lay discarded on the second floor of the house near a brick chimney. The items weren’t left by the home’s previous occupants, Port Clinton Police Chief Robert Hickman said at a news conference Tuesday. They belonged to Harley Dilly, a 14-year-old who vanished almost a month ago. The missing boy, investigators would soon learn, was close by. ^^bbm

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/01/15/dilly-chimney-death/

The owners were there in November

 

[Linda7NJ]

Of course, but they didn’t even try. I’m not saying they should have broken the door down and ransacked the place. Just a nice little phone call asking “may we please enter your unoccupied residence to ensure a missing teen didn’t find his way in somehow and meet his demise” shouldn’t have been too much to ask.

Seems to me the chief had tunnel vision. He was convinced Harley ran away of his own accord.

This was contrary to what his mother said.

1.There were ZERO APPEALS to any potential predator/kidnapper

2. The chief did NOT want volunteers to search

3. refused TES for quite awhile

 

[Cool Cats]

There is no fireplace or stove pipe, just the flue hole. So the items were found either on the floor or partially in the hole. Look at the pics in the thread if you can find them.

There are photos of this?
Well then, this would clear it up and explain why the articles say:

" his coat and glasses were found on the 2nd floor" and there are
"no fireplaces. "

If anyone knows of photos, please post. Thankx very much everyone!

 

[Seajay]

Of course, but they didn’t even try. I’m not saying they should have broken the door down and ransacked the place. Just a nice little phone call asking “may we please enter your unoccupied residence to ensure a missing teen didn’t find his way in somehow and meet his demise” shouldn’t have been too much to ask.

From the sound of things, he may have been found sooner, but it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. Harley was already passed. He couldn’t breathe. He suffocated to death pretty soon after getting in there. He passed that day according to preliminary reports. JMO

 

[Linda7NJ]

From the sound of things, he may have been found sooner, but it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. Harley was already passed. He couldn’t breathe. He suffocated to death pretty soon after getting in there. He passed that day according to preliminary reports. JMO

Thats the ME’s best guess. I am so hoping it was over quickly as opposed to him being stuck in there starving to death or dying from exposure - that would have taken much longer

 

[Seattle1]

There are photos of this?
Well then, this would clear it up and explain why the article said

" his coat and glasses were found on the 2nd floor" and there are "no fireplaces. "

If anyone knows of photos, please post. Thankx very much everyone!

No photos released of the home interior but the homeowner who does not want his surname used explained the interior (chimney) opening is only where stove pipes were formerly located and impossible for him to climb out of into the house. See media the thread for more details.

 

[FindTheirTruth]

I do want to say that the night they found Harley, I watched the live at the house from start to finish. I'm sure the videos are still up somewhere, and it would be hours of watching and listening. At one point it was reported that walls were being taken down, that is most likely where people are getting this sledgehammer idea. The fire dept was there and were most likely designated to perform that task . Once that was done, I believe a couple of ambulances came and then vehicles started leaving. The chief then went to the Dillys,and I'm assuming that is when they notified them that Harley had been found, after that an ambulance went to the Dillys, again assuming that Mom was beyond distraught. All my opinion and what I remember watching all night, which turned out to be the night Harley was found.

Let me find the link but a news article was stating that a sledgehammer was found in the home as evidence.

MOO but didnt the home owner say there were renovations anyway?

Edit to add link: Teen missing 3 weeks is found dead in the chimney of a vacant house across the street from his home | Daily Mail Online

 

[Cool Cats]

House where Harley Dilly's body was found becomes stage for protests

Police believe Harley got onto the roof of the house by climbing an antenna tower, and then decided to climb down the chimney. The chief said during a news conference that the chimney was blocked between the first and second floors, and that’s what led to him getting stuck. They also believe the boy was able to push his coat and glasses through a chimney flue into the second floor room, although the chief did not detail how exactly that would have happened or why investigators believe he took this action.
​

more at link

Thanks! I think you solved the "missing fireplace mystery" and the coat and glasses being found on the second floor "mystery."
Cool.

 

[TristanP]

From the sound of things, he may have been found sooner, but it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. Harley was already passed. He couldn’t breathe. He suffocated to death pretty soon after getting in there. He passed that day according to preliminary reports. JMO

Agreed. I pray he did not suffer long. It makes me feel short of breath just imagining how he must have felt when he realized he was trapped and no one knew where he was.

I get so frustrated reading about so many cases where LE just didn’t do something right. It’s 2020, yet some of the ways they treat certain cases is like it’s 1972.

 

[Cool Cats]

No photos released of the home interior but the homeowner who does not want his surname used explained the interior (chimney) opening is only where stove pipes were formerly located and impossible for him to climb out of into the house. See media the thread for more details.

Thankx...I won't look for any then and will check media thread for more detail about the chimney. Sounds like a total accident.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Agreed. I pray he did not suffer long. It makes me feel short of breath just imagining how he must have felt when he realized he was trapped and no one knew where he was.

I get so frustrated reading about so many cases where LE just didn’t do something right. It’s 2020, yet some of the ways they treat certain cases is like it’s 1972.

Come on- kids cut school & go missing for a day or two all the time. Usually, the only people panicking are the parents- everyone else is like “ probably at a friends house” and 99% of the time, everyone else is right.

All the people following this case here- no one said.....”maybe he accessed a roof and climbed down a chimney and got stuck”

 

[CSIDreamer]

So we are not talking about fireplaces, just a chimney to vent the heat from a stove pipe.
Could be. Very interesting thankx!

Odd, we don't know where on 2nd floor his coat and glasses were found. Fireplace? Stove pipe? Floor? Hole in the ceiling? Farther into the room? .... HUMMM...

There is no fireplace. Nor stove pipe. It came through a hole in the chimney.

 

[TristanP]

An 8 inch diameter if you think about it, is somewhat large. It's 8 inches from every direction. Not big enough for a child to squeeze through especially with no room to maneuver, but big enough for glasses and even a malleable coat.

Are you sure about that? I’m not good at geometry but I thought it would be 8” across making it 4” from the center.

 

[Seajay]

Agreed. I pray he did not suffer long. It makes me feel short of breath just imagining how he must have felt when he realized he was trapped and no one knew where he was.

I get so frustrated reading about so many cases where LE just didn’t do something right. It’s 2020, yet some of the ways they treat certain cases is like it’s 1972.

I get it. Especially this case with him not being able to breathe. I had part of my right lung cut out in June. Talk about taking your breath away. Poor kid. I can’t even imagine the panic.

 

[Seajay]

Come on- kids cut school & go missing for a day or two all the time. Usually, the only people panicking are the parents- everyone else is like “ probably at a friends house” and 99% of the time, everyone else is right.

All the people following this case here- no one said.....”maybe he accessed a roof and climbed down a chimney and got stuck”

Nope, no one guessed that. However, I know plenty of us will think about that in the future. We learn from these cases.

 

[simlyme]

And the rumors on Facebook were the Dilly’s garage was taped off cause they found a bloody sledgehammer, Harley’s dad committed Suicide in the garage ....on and on it went

I must have been watching a different news station, because I never heard anything about a sledgehammer or a garage being taped off. The news station I watched was VERY careful with his words , he assumed nothing. In fact he would say things like "that may be Harleys mother on the porch, but we don't know as it's too blurry to see" or That may be the Chief going in the Dilly house, but not sure at this time". I guess it all depended on what news station someone was listening to.