By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Butler County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Craft shows a newly released photograph of a sweatshirt that might match the one on a badly burned, dismembered body found Dec. 31 in Milford Township. (Michael Snyder photo)

HAMILTON - The fire that nearly consumed a dismembered body spared some scraps of clothing - apparently because they were pressed against the ground - clues that could help crack the case.

"The remains of this body were charred pretty intensely," Butler County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Craft said Thursday. "So it was luck that we were able to recover the fragments of these clothing items ... we feel these designs have unique characteristics that maybe somebody will recognize."

As Craft on Thursday released more details about the victim's physical characteristics and clothing remnants, he renewed his office's plea for the public's help in identifying the remains. A pair of hunters discovered the charred torso, Dec. 31 in Milford Township near the Preble County line.

"We are in deep need of help from the public," Craft said. Tips, plentiful at first, have slowed to a trickle.

A forensic examination showed the victim was most likely an African-American male, 30 to 50 years old, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-10, with a medium build, about 140 to 160 pounds.

Among missing-persons reports nationwide, investigators found seven possible matches. Two are from Greater Cincinnati.

Craft hopes the garment descriptions can produce more precise leads.

After Detective Duane Monroe, an evidence technician, recovered bits of a T-shirt and sweatshirt from the torso, investigators used computers to produce images of what the shirts may have looked like before they were burned.

The T-shirt's manufacturer, Ecko Unltd., and the sweatshirt's manufacturer, Southpole-USA, both based in New Jersey, have been cooperative, Craft said.

Investigators are unsure of the materials' colors. A chemical reaction with a fire accelerant, coupled with the fire, may have distorted the fabric dyes, Craft explained.

The sweatshirt was emblazoned with "Southpole" in cursive letters, with "since '91," underneath.

Much of the T-shirt's animal motif is missing, but Craft pointed out an unusual phrase beneath its red rhinoceros logo: "Get 'Open' " in black letters. The shirt is believed to be at least two years old.

Craft urges anyone with information to call the sheriff's office at 785-1300.

E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com