Police: 2 people dumped Middletown woman’s body in woods

Middletown police say they will be filing charges against people who allegedly moved Leslie Dalton’s body after the 20-year-old overdosed last week in a Wilbraham Road house.

Dalton’s body was found Sunday afternoon in a dry creek bed behind homes in the 2900 block of Wilbraham Road. Middletown police say her death is being investigated as an overdose, but other crimes were committed because her body was moved.

Two people interviewed by detectives said Dalton died at the residence and they moved her body in the dark of night, according to court documents obtained by this news outlet.

“Both individuals stated that they left her deceased until the next day and waited until night fall,” Detective Kristi Hughes wrote in the affidavit for a search warrant on the residence.

“Both individuals placed the deceased in a wheel barrel, wrapped her body in bed sheets and pushed her body across the street into the woods,” she wrote.

Dalton had reportedly been missing since July 27.

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After dumping the body, the bed sheets were burned to conceal the evidence, according to court documents.

Another person said Dalton had been hanging out using drugs “a couple weeks ago” and that was the last time he saw her alive.

Taken as evidence from the house were:

  • four cell phones
  • a marijuana pipe
  • sheets and bedding
  • blue gloves
  • a green and yellow wheelbarrow

Detectives also obtained a search warrant for a cell phone from a man who may have had photos of Dalton’s dead body lying in the woods.

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An autopsy was conducted Monday on Dalton’s body at the Butler County Coroner’s Office, according to administrator Martin Schneider. The cause of death is listed as “pending” by the coroner’s office.

“Laws were broken and we are going to seek justice,” Middletown police Lt. Scott Reeve told this news outlet. “We expect to charge them in the future.”

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