Tuesday, April 14, 1998
HAMILTON -- Butler County authorities pulled the partial remains of a person from the banks of the Great Miami River in Hamilton on Monday night. Police were releasing little information about the gruesome discovery.
Butler County Coroner Dr. Richard P. Burkhardt said the person's body was "missing some parts."
He said the person probably had been dead "in the neighborhood of six months." The body appeared to have been purposely disfigured to prevent identification, he said.
"The arms, legs and head had been taken off -- so is the genitalia," Dr. Burkhardt said. He said it could not be immediately determined whether the body was that of a man or woman.
The torso was discovered about 6:30 p.m. by two boys as they rode bikes along a path that is parallel to the river.
The torso was located on the east side of the river between the High - Main bridge and the Columbia bridge here in Hamilton.
Butler County Sheriff Harold "Don" Gabbard said an investigation is under way and additional details will be released as they become available.
