Harley Dilly’s body was found January 13 at a home on Fulton Street in Port Clinton after an intensive search.
www.wkbn.com
We are getting some answers about what happened to Harley Dilly, the 14-year-old Ohio boy whose
body was found inside of a chimney after he had gone missing.
The Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s final report says Dilly was found standing on the floor of the chimney on the second floor of the home. Above him was a vent.
His coat, eyeglasses, sweatshirt and a Cleveland Browns jersey were pushed through the hole. The vent cover was found near the clothing.
In pictures, his coat is seen hanging on a door. The report explains a Port Clinton officer picked it up to assess whether it was possibly Dilly’s.
Investigators say the boy climbed an antenna on the side of the home. He slid down the chimney and the clothing was pushed through the hole to try to create space.
Many local rumors centered around the clothing and a mattress being found on the floor of the bedroom, but the report makes it clear Dilly was never inside of the home.
There were no signs of a sleeping area, food being eaten or any use of the bathrooms.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office hopes the detailed report shows this was a terrible accident. It says the report should dispel any rumors about the case and hopes this puts the matter to rest.
The Ohio Attorney General’s office released its file on the Harley Dilly case, the 14-year-old Port Clinton young man who went missing in December and was later found in a chimney of an unoccupied vacation home.
www.cleveland19.com
The Ohio Attorney General’s office released its file on the Harley Dilly case, the 14-year-old Port Clinton young man who went missing in December and was later found dead in a chimney of an unoccupied vacation home.
The report includes a final review of the night Dilly was found, Jan. 13, and several evidence photos taken at the scene.
After speaking with a member of the Attorney General’s office it is believed Dilly got stuck somewhere near the vent opening.
They believe he was able to push through his coat and clothing through the hole in an attempt to make himself smaller.
Investigators believe it worked.
Dilly was then small enough to slip down another six to seven feet, only to stop where the chimney had been bricked off at the floor.
Dilly’s body was badly decomposed, and many questioned why investigators, or cadaver dogs, didn’t pick up on the smell while searching the area outside of the home.
“The agents did not detect any odor of decomposition while examining the residence,” the report said. “The victim was located during the process of checking the chimney for additional potential items of evidence. Only after the removal of the bricks from the chimney area, were agents able to smell odors consistent with decomposition.”
www.wcpo.com
