CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Police in Chillicothe are investigating a tip that a dead body might be under a home.
Chillicothe Police received a call, Sunday, regarding the possible dead body in a basement well at 95 North Hickory Street. The police were tipped off by someone who claimed to have seen a body wrapped in a bag in the well. The individual who provided the tip stated that he did not climb into the well but believed that the body had been there for a while. The tipster, during an interview, said he believed that he saw what appeared to be a person sitting with their back against the wall and their feet out in front of them wrapped in a tarp or plastic. At the time, he told police, that he was worried that anyone in the house would get in trouble for the deceased person and he had been mentally bothered by the thought of it and wanted to tell someone.
Once at the home, police spoke to the property manager who stated that she had been trying to get squatters removed from the property. The manager had found a dead animal next to the well, but nothing else of note. The police searched the area and found the well, which was located about 10-20 feet deep in a crawl space under the floor. The well was covered by a metal lid and there was a green carpet leading to it.
The police were able to crawl back to the well and take photos, “which showed the ground had possibly been disturbed recently,” according to a police report obtained by the Guardian. A canine unit from the Ross County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene but did not alert authorities to the presence of any decomposition, the report read.
The owner of the property gave permission to pull up the floor if necessary, and the investigation is ongoing.
