Body found on Salem Avenue in Dayton during post-fire debris removal

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A body was found Monday morning by demolition crews in northwest Dayton at a site near the Gem City Market.

The body was discovered while crews used an excavator to remove debris from a property at 402 Salem Ave. Dayton police were dispatched to the property after 11 a.m., said James Rider, a Dayton Police Department spokesman.

A commercial structure on the site had been damaged by a Jan. 28 fire and was knocked down earlier. The property, which was a two-story house, was formerly home to PowerNet of Dayton.

The intensity of the fire and signs of impending collapse prevented firefighters from searching the structure, said Brad French, assistant chief of the Dayton Fire Department.

Once the fire was extinguished, an emergency demolition was ordered due to the extent of damage and danger of additional collapse, he said.

Crews with Bladecutter's Demolition remove debris from a site on the 400 block of Salem Ave. on Monday, June 3, 2024. A dead body was discovered on Monday during demolition removal activities. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

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Bladecutter’s Demolition was removing debris from the site when crews found the body.

The report of a body found led officials from the fire department’s fire investigations unit, the police department’s homicide unit and the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office to respond.

The victim has not been identified.

Dayton police Maj. Brian Johns said an autopsy was conducted Tuesday morning and that they are awaiting a determination of whether the person was killed as a result of the fire or was deceased before then, he said during a Tuesday afternoon media briefing.

Crews with Bladecutter's Demolition remove debris from a site on the 400 block of Salem Ave. on Monday, June 3, 2024. A body was discovered on Monday during demolition removal activities. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

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The Gem City Market, which is just south of the demolition site, posted a message on social media today saying it was aware of the discovery of the body at the site.

The post says police confirmed “this situation is not linked to any incidents within our store.”

The Gem City Market also wrote, “Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of the deceased during this difficult time.”