Police: Potential homebuyers find skeletal remains in vacant Dayton house

Two people looking to buy a house found skeletal remains at a vacant Dayton property Wednesday morning.

Around 9:50 a.m. the potential homebuyers entered the back door of 3940 Delphos Ave. and found badly decomposed human remains, said Dayton police Sgt. Creigee S. Coleman.

Officers responded to the scene and the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office removed the body.

“We’re hoping that the coroner can determine the identity of the person so that person’s family can have closure,” Coleman said.

Homicide detectives are handling the investigation, but it’s not clear if there were any signs of foul play.

Investigators are working to contact the homeowner and see the last time he was at the house and if he knows if anyone was at the home.

Coleman said it appears the body was in the house for a long time, but it’s not clear why it’s there.

“At this point in time it’s hard to determine if they were an actual resident of the house or if they were squatting or were they a missing person trying to keep warm,” he said.

Anyone with information or who may have seen people going into the house should call Dayton police at 937-333-COPS (2677) or Montgomery County Regional Dispatch at 937-225-4357.

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