Man charged in death of missing man found in Dayton garage

Dayton police are investigating after a body was found in a garage at a Burkhardt Avenue home Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. MARSHALL GORBY / STAFF

Dayton police are investigating after a body was found in a garage at a Burkhardt Avenue home Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. MARSHALL GORBY / STAFF

A Dayton man is accused of killing another man reported missing last month and hiding his body in a garage, according court documents.

Jeremy Heath VanVoorhis, 47, is facing two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and one count each of tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse, according to Dayton Municipal Court records.

On or around July 15, VanVoorhis shot and killed 44-year-old Clinton James “CJ” Pierce of Dayton, according to court documents.

“VanVoorhis then hid Pierce’s body under multiple layers of flooring materials and other items in a detached garage,” an affidavit read.

On Aug. 18, Dayton police responded to a house in the 400 block of Burkhardt Avenue after a woman reported a bad smell coming from a garage.

When officers searched the garage, they found a body, later identified as Pierce.

“The body was badly decomposed, but from the cause of death, it appears to be a homicide from the evidence at the scene,” Dayton police Maj. Brian Johns said earlier this month.

A warrant was issued for VanVoorhis’ arrest on Monday, according to court records.

Pierce is survived by his parents, sister, fiancée, three children and one granddaughter, according to his obituary.

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