Car where dead man found had ‘horrible’ smell, was parked there for a day, says 911 caller

A man who reported a possible deceased person in a car told 911 dispatchers that there was a “horrible” smell coming from the car and that it had been parked there for a day.

“There’s a car abandoned on the side of the road,” the man said to dispatchers. “Looks like there’s a dead body in it.”

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The car was in the 4600 block of Upper Valley Road in Bath Twp. in Greene County. The man reported the incident just before 9 a.m. on Memorial Day.

Greene County Sheriff’s deputies, the coroner, Wright-Patterson Air Force fire and Clark County crews responded to the scene and found a man, later identified as 37-year-old Matthew Taylor of Springfield, inside the car.

The 911 caller, who said he was a Fairborn waste water worker, told dispatchers he noticed the car on Sunday morning when he was working at a pump nearby.

“It’s not abnormal to see cars that are run out of gas off [state] Route 4 and sit there, but they’re usually gone the next day,” he said.

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When making a check Monday morning with a coworker, they noticed the car was still there.

“We pulled up beside it,” he said. “The window’s cracked and there’s a horrible odor coming out of it.”

The cause and manner of death have not been determined at this time, according to the coroner’s office.

We will continue to update this story as more details are available.

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