Vermillion County-Today, an autopsy was conducted at Terre Haute Regional Hospital on a partially decomposed and fully clothed body found yesterday in a trailer at 8139 East County Road 900 South near Ladoga (Montgomery County) Indiana.
The decomposition of the body has prevented a positive identification of the deceased, but the deceased is believed to be a middle aged white male. The results of the autopsy are inconclusive with toxicology results pending. There were no immediate signs of foul play, but foul play has not been ruled out. The investigation is ongoing and could take weeks to complete. State police and the coroner’s office will use DNA testing in an attempt to identify the remains and that will also take several weeks to complete.
The case originated on June 15 when a relative of the land owner in Clinton, IN was attempting to dismantle the trailer to salvage scrap metal. During the process, he discovered a body among the rubbish in one of the rooms. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office initially arrived and requested assistance from detectives from the Lafayette State Police Post. During the investigation, officers determined that on June 10 of this year, the trailer was brought to the Ladoga address from property just west of 215 North 6th Street Clinton. Investigators also found the City of Clinton had notified the owner of the trailer in early June that the trailer needed to be vacated from the property. Collectively, the information brought in investigators from the Putnamville State Police Post as Clinton (Vermillion County) lies within the Putnamville District and the trailer was removed from Clinton.
The case was investigated by ISP Detective First Sergeants Jeff Hearon and Bryan Harper, ISP Detectives Tony Guinn, Greg Edwards and Tom Minnicus, ISP Crime Scene Investigators Sergeant Kris Fitzgerald and Brock Russell, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.
The attached picture shows the scene of the Montgomery County death investigation.
For media information, Sergeant Joe Watts will be the contact person for any further media questions or releases that will be forth wit.
Under the Law, criminal charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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