Body found Tuesday afternoon at Crawford County landfill; no foul play suspected in death

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BUCYRUS — A body recovered Tuesday afternoon in the Crawford County Landfill is believed to be a missing teen from Mount Gilead.

“We did find the body, but we haven’t confirmed an identity,” Crawford County Sheriff Scott Kent said.

The coroner’s office labeled the body as a John Doe, Kent said.

A 14-year-old boy was reported missing from his home in Mount Gilead since Sunday, according to the website of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.

The Crawford County Coroner’s Office took the body to Lucas County for an autopsy and to be identified.

Skylar Bentley, 14, was last seen by family members about 9 p.m. Sunday as he was going to bed, according to Mount Gilead Police.

Bentley was seen on a surveillance video jumping into a trash receptacle in the early morning hours, but was not seen climbing out before it was collected by a trash truck later that morning, a source told the Morrow County Sentinal, which is owned by Aim Media Midwest, which also owns the Galion Inquirer.

Bentley’s mother reported him missing at 8 a.m. Monday.

Village Police Chief Brian Zerman said no foul play is suspected. The department is continuing the investigation.

“It’s just a very tragic event that, unfortunately, we may never have all the answers,” Zerman said Wednesday.

Officers from various law enforcement agencies — including the Crawford and Morrow county sheriff’s offices, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and the Galion Police Department — searched the landfill throughout the day.

Shortly before 7 p.m., a spokesperson for Rumpke Waste & Recycling, a family-owned firm that operates the landfill, which is owned by Crawford County, issued this news release, and the investigation will continue.

Earlier today, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office contacted Rumpke requesting to search the Crawford County Landfill. Rumpke immediately granted access and pledged its assistance, according to the news release.

Other agencies involved included the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office, Mount Gilead Police Department, Galion Police Department and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

After an extensive search, the body of an unknown person was discovered in the landfill around 4:45 p.m.

“This is a sad and tragic day,” said Randy Broadright, Rumpke safety manager. “Our thoughts and prayers are with anyone touched by this tragedy. We appreciate the dedication and commitment of all law enforcement involved in the search.”

Rumpke does not have specific details about the investigation.

The scene was cleared by 6:45 p.m.

More details will be added as them become available.

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Staff report

 

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