In June 1964, a fisherman made a grisly discovery in a western Ohio gravel pit: a severed human arm. Four days later, another fisherman found a burlap bag containing a torso in a nearby canal. Eventually, a human head and leg were discovered in the same stream.
The remains were identified as those of Daisy Shelton, 43, of Dayton – and now, 40 years later, authorities have officially declared the case unsolved. The Miami County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that prosecutors approved closing the case after a key witness came forward to identify a suspect who died about 18 months ago.
Finding the suspected killer – who authorities have not named – took several decades. After Shelton’s remains were identified in 1964, the case remained unsolved until 2017. That’s when a witness – who was also not named by authorities – came forward to claim he saw someone kill Shelton with a hammer in a Dayton home, then dismember his body. , the sheriff’s office said. The body parts were then dumped in bodies of water in and around the Dayton suburb of Tipp City, the witness told detectives.
“It was a very gruesome murder, even by today’s standards,” Miami County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Steve Lord told CBS affiliate WHIO-TV.
The person named as the suspect was questioned several times by police in 2017. After initially denying knowing Shelton, officials said he eventually admitted that a box in his home “had been used to transport the parts of the Shelton’s body” and “it was possible that Shelton was killed in his home.”
He claimed he was framed by the eyewitness to the crime, but admitted he “looked guilty and could potentially be found guilty in court,” the sheriff’s office said.
The murder witness testified before a grand jury, but died before the case could be prosecuted. Officials have not said whether they believe the witness played a role in Shelton’s death.
The suspect died in September 2022 at the age of 92.
Shelton’s granddaughter, Maria Walling, told WHIO-TV that she recently received a phone call from the sheriff’s office informing her that authorities were finally ready to close the case.
“It’s very, very shocking that a human being could do this to another human being,” Walling said.
Sheriff Lord said “unsolved homicides are among the most difficult that investigators face” and his department was assisted by the Dayton Police Cold Case Squad.
“Re-examination of records is a crucial aspect of bringing a sense of justice to the victim’s family, even if it comes long after the crime has been committed,” Lord said.
But Walling told WHIO-TV she doesn’t feel justice has been served.
“To be honest, no,” she told the station. “No one has that right. No one has the power to end someone’s life.”
Grub5
