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

[lindaromas]

Best and worst aspects of social media on display in Dilly saga

PORT CLINTON, Ohio (WTVG) - Social media can be one of the best vehicles for getting the word out about a missing person. But it can also be used as a platform for cruelty.

Remembering Harley

In the case of Harley Dilly's disappearance and death, it's been used for both.

The Port Clinton Police Department used social media to get pictures and a description of Dilly out to the public when he was missing. As a result, members of the community joined in the search efforts to find the teen.

Police also used Facebook to update the public and media about the progress of the investigation.

But residents in Port Clinton say social media has been filled with criticism and condemnation of the police and the family in this case, and many residents say it's left some pretty deep and lasting scars.

Marc Wolfe is a community business leader who helped raise more than $20,000 for the reward fund to find Harley, only to come up against harsh criticism for any efforts to help Harley's family.
​

continued at link

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=410347806403126

Makes me wonder if the reward money was claimed........Shame on the person who claimed it if they did!

 

[lindaromas]

I did a historical weather search, it has been unusually warm here in Ohio for January. I'm wondering if the odor of human decomp might have been wafting in the air?

December temps Port Clinton, OH Weather History | Weather Underground Christmas day it was near 60

January temps Port Clinton, OH Weather History | Weather Underground It was nearly 40 the day they found him.

 

[deugirtni]

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

A local chimney expert agreed to talk to us anonymously about chimney design in order to shed light on the situation. Not knowing the exact layout of the house's chimney, or if there was even a fireplace opening, at 507 Fulton St., he agreed to talk in general terms.

The home on Fulton Street in Port Clinton was built in 1850, according to property records. According to police, there is a flue on the second floor. Police said that Harley climbed an antenna tower on the side of the home to access the roof. Once on the roof, he made his way to the chimney - near the center of the roof.

The home’s chimney is 9 inches by 13 inches, small but not too small for a teen who weighed about 100 pounds to squeeze into.

According to the expert, looking into the opening, the smoke shelf can be seen and that would appear to be the bottom of the chimney. However, the opening then takes a sharp twist.

The flue, which could be angled in the open position, is located there. If the glasses and coat were dropped, they would be deflected onto the floor. Besides the chimney opening twisting at that site, it also narrows to roughly six inches, making it impossible for anyone of any size to squeeze through that area.

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

That totally doesn't make any sense, without a fireplace, but yet this 'expert' is speaking as if there was a fireplace, and he's not mentioning the coat coming out of the flue, he's talking about it coming out of the fireplace, which we know is not right. Someone posted a graphic earlier on the thread which showed a 'flue' opening in the brick of the chimney going straight up through a house with no fireplace - it appears that in a much much older house like this one, they would have at one time had a woodstove which would have been vented out of that 'hole' in the brick. imo.

 

[deugirtni]

"ALLEGEDLY" They decided to re-cavnass all the homes in the area. NOW, idk if it was the lockbox that caught their attn OR, the window on the crawl space. IF you notice that in one of the pictures it looks like one of the windows on, what looks to be a basement window, was pushed in or broken. It was shown in one of the many MSM broadcasts, but I can't find it currently, I will continue looking.

HOWEVER, the fact that it took 41 hours for him to be called in as Missing negates any and everything in this case. This is just a boy who had a misadventure as much as our hearts don't want to accept it. The police had dogs around the house, BUT brick conceals a LOT especially when it's cold and above where they are searching.

The 1 thing that gets me is....how clean the coat looked when it was hanging up, BUT that could be due to the fact that the chimney hadn't been used in 10+ years and they were renovating.

Yes, good point - that coat should've been covered in black soot. Even if it the chimney had been 'cleaned', it wouldn't have been cleaned to not have any soot, I believe it is cleaned with a brush, as opposed to a 'cloth', so presumably it would still leave a pile of black soot on the walls, just no build-up. imo. And then something fabric coming down those black sooty walls would surely become blackened.

 

[cobalt sky]

The 1 thing that gets me is....how clean the coat looked when it was hanging up, BUT that could be due to the fact that the chimney hadn't been used in 10+ years and they were renovating.

Yes, good point - that coat should've been covered in black soot. Even if it had been 'cleaned', it wouldn't have been cleaned to not have any soot, I believe it is cleaned with a brush, as opposed to a 'cloth', so presumably it would still leave a pile of black soot on the walls, just no build-up. imo. And then something fabric coming down those black sooty walls would surely become blackened.

If Harley didn't push the coat out of the flue, do you have a theory as to how it got there?

 

[heed101]

OMG.OMG. It just struck me like a bolt of lightning at the grocery store.
Harley wanted to be. YouTube censation, and be liked.
So a group of his friends,and aquainences knew of a Summer house,where the homeowner wouldn't be there for months. (Even if adults didn't know)So they all decide together who is the smallest,and could gain entry easier than any of them, so they can get in then unlock the house for everyone else. Then BAM Party is on, and no one will be the wiser. Only things didn't go as planned. Harley was a no show. Maybe they thought he was a runaway,and we're covering for him. So when asked they know nothing. Until furthering questioning. So the stupid teenage party plan is finally revealed. So the home got checked,and that's when it was discovered he was stuck in the chimney the whole time.
MOO.
That would explain the mom not wanting to jeopardize Harley. She didn't want to say too much,and spook any of the kids who might be in the know,and why Chief Hickman was so evasive,and defensive when answering questions,about why now go back to that house,and check it out. It's because it comes down to stupid teenagers,doing what stupid teenagers do. If your parents aren't going out if town,find somewhere else to throw a party. I must admit,and apologize for being too hard on Chief Hickman. He did the best he could to protect,and serve. This is so heartbreaking,and sad.
MOO.

My question is if she did not want to jeopardize him (she said because she talked to him and did not see him) which was confusing, and I do see your point.... why did it take almost another 2 weeks to find him after she said that if she had even a hint something was going on ?

 

[Falcon500]

I know that, but in my opinion it would have taken alot of the heat off the family, and the whole case. Do you really think that it is normal to NOT search vacant houses that are close by?

I don’t know if it’s “normal” or not but in seven years in uniform we had a ton of runaways. Every roll call the sgt would read off name after name. I don’t recall ever searching a vacant house.

 

[deugirtni]

I don’t know if it’s “normal” or not but in seven years in uniform we had a ton of runaways. Every roll call the sgt would read off name after name. I don’t recall ever searching a vacant house.

Agreed. It really puts a damper on a police investigation for a missing teen if that teen has been known to skip school, not come home at night, etc. People seem to criticize the family for not reporting him missing sooner, but if Harley had done this a couple of times before, but had always shown up by x time the following day, then I could for sure see the family waiting until then to know for sure whether to get worried or not. I'm sure it can sound alien to people with perfect kids, but for those who've dealt with a child that is a little 'different', it becomes easier to relate to, imho. It seems to me that perhaps police and family were thinking more along the lines that H had gone missing with some unknown internet person, and that is what I suspect the mom was speaking of when she said 'she didn't want to jeopardize him' by saying too much. If their suspicions had been correct, then where would police even begin, other than cameras and asking if people had seen him? jmo.

 

[deugirtni]

If Harley didn't push the coat out of the flue, do you have a theory as to how it got there?

I guess I have a somewhat suspicious nature after being around websleuths for awhile.

 

[Bellecent]

Every time I see a penny on the ground I will pick it up just for Harley.

Oh this might be an idea for the community
... a portion of a sidewalk with pennies for Harley.

 

[JDough]

having allegedly checked the outside and locks thoroughly before - makes absolutely no sense at all.

RSBM
This statement (reported during PC), was somewhat confusing to me. Iirc, the statement indicated "on a subsequent search, we noticed the lockbox and contacted the homeowner for entry." If the windows, doors and the perimeter of the home were previously checked (on more than one occasion), wouldn't the lockbox have been noted previously?

I, too, believe this was a horrible accident. However; the statement was odd, IMO. While I have no reason to suggest LE is hiding something or being dishonest regarding how the search was conducted, I must admit some of the statements have made my mind wander.

 

[GeorgiaRai]

DBM

 

[JDough]

Best and worst aspects of social media on display in Dilly saga

PORT CLINTON, Ohio (WTVG) - Social media can be one of the best vehicles for getting the word out about a missing person. But it can also be used as a platform for cruelty.

Remembering Harley

In the case of Harley Dilly's disappearance and death, it's been used for both.

The Port Clinton Police Department used social media to get pictures and a description of Dilly out to the public when he was missing. As a result, members of the community joined in the search efforts to find the teen.

Police also used Facebook to update the public and media about the progress of the investigation.

But residents in Port Clinton say social media has been filled with criticism and condemnation of the police and the family in this case, and many residents say it's left some pretty deep and lasting scars.

Marc Wolfe is a community business leader who helped raise more than $20,000 for the reward fund to find Harley, only to come up against harsh criticism for any efforts to help Harley's family.
​

continued at link

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=410347806403126

Ahhh yes. Social media statements. They come with every case, don't they? Some of the more recent statements (after Harley's discovery) made by the family themselves have contributed to the harsh criticism and lack of the community's desire to assist financially, IMO.

 

[Kiranerys]

I don’t know if it’s “normal” or not but in seven years in uniform we had a ton of runaways. Every roll call the sgt would read off name after name. I don’t recall ever searching a vacant house.

Do you recall having so many different agencies and such national attention after a week for any of those runaways?,just wondering how "normal" this is?

 

[NuttMegg]

I think there was no need to "clean" chimneys back then because they only served as exhaust outlets for wood or gas stoves. My son's house was built in 1898 in Illinois and it has two chimneys: one for the fireplace and one for the bedroom wood stoves/later converted to gas stove in the kitchen. That chimney was dry-walled over upstairs after central heat was installed but it still exists next to the gas kitchen stove.

Do we know where and how Harley entered the house? Because I still have my doubts it was from the roof/chimney.

JMO

Actually there was a critical need to clean chimneys back in the days this type of house was built, the chimney was most likely sized with that need in mind. Historic references are easy to find on google. Chimney sweep jobs were an integral part of the work force, unfortunately often children were forced into that because they were small, the practice now considered a dark stain on the history of forced child labor. The furnace would probably have been a coal burner, not wood, in areas with lots of coal available. Gas furnaces were not even invented until 1919, and burning wood was very inefficient.

 

[GeorgiaRai]

Agreed. It really puts a damper on a police investigation for a missing teen if that teen has been known to skip school, not come home at night, etc. People seem to criticize the family for not reporting him missing sooner, but if Harley had done this a couple of times before, but had always shown up by x time the following day, then I could for sure see the family waiting until then to know for sure whether to get worried or not. I'm sure it can sound alien to people with perfect kids, but for those who've dealt with a child that is a little 'different', it becomes easier to relate to, imho. It seems to me that perhaps police and family were thinking more along the lines that H had gone missing with some unknown internet person, and that is what I suspect the mom was speaking of when she said 'she didn't want to jeopardize him' by saying too much. If their suspicions had been correct, then where would police even begin, other than cameras and asking if people had seen him? jmo.

Bravo to this post!

I've had the unfortunate - and seemingly rare? - experience of both having imperfect kids AND being an imperfect parent. I've posted before about when my oldest (now 36) was a teen, & I knew that after repeated calls, LE can determine a child is "habitually disobedient" and pick him up. It's hard to explain what a mom goes through when her options are waiting in fear or calling the law on her beloved little boy. Both pose certain risks, and only in hindsight do you know if you made the right choice.

From experience, I can say that when you decide not to call LE for the time being (which is a choice I made more than once), you still panic the whole time. You may still go about your daily obligations, take care of your other kids, even eat dinner out - but that sick feeling in your stomach and that ache in your heart don't go away until your child is back in your sight. MOO.

 

[Diddian]

Ahhh yes. Social media statements. They come with every case, don't they? Some of the more recent statements (after Harley's discovery) made by the family themselves have contributed to the harsh criticism and lack of the community's desire to assist financially, IMO.

Amen. You’ve heard of lightning rods; this appears to be an example of a criticism rod. This would be a good time for a large measure of solemn silence.

Maybe an ambulance chaser is whispering into her ear and clouding her judgment.

If so, he is seriously misreading the jury pool.

 

[IceIce9]

I know that, but in my opinion it would have taken alot of the heat off the family, and the whole case. Do you really think that it is normal to NOT search vacant houses that are close by?

Also didn’t the video show him walking toward that house?

 

[NuttMegg]

That totally doesn't make any sense, without a fireplace, but yet this 'expert' is speaking as if there was a fireplace, and he's not mentioning the coat coming out of the flue, he's talking about it coming out of the fireplace, which we know is not right. Someone posted a graphic earlier on the thread which showed a 'flue' opening in the brick of the chimney going straight up through a house with no fireplace - it appears that in a much much older house like this one, they would have at one time had a woodstove which would have been vented out of that 'hole' in the brick. imo.

The "local chimney expert" doesn't know squat.

 

[whatsnext]

Also didn’t the video show him walking toward that house?

In my personal opinion it would make sense to search vacant houses nearby especially if you think the kid is a runaway and you only have him on cctv close to his home and nowhere else.
Rest in peace, Harley.