Missing Ohio Teen Update: Body Of 14-Year-Old Boy Found In Chimney

A month after the teenager first went missing, police in Ohio now believe they have found the body of 14-year-old Harley Dilly in a chimney.

Dilly was last seen leaving for school on in the town of Port Clinton on Dec. 20, sometime between 6 and 7 a.m.

After scouring over 150 acres searching for Dilly – with 75 agencies employing helicopters, dogs and search teams – authorities focused in on an unoccupied summer home. Once inside, Dilly’s coat and glasses were found.

“We were then able to discover what we believe to be Harley, who was caught in the chimney,” Port Clinton Chief of Police Robert Hickman said in a statement on Tuesday. “This appears to be an accident.”

Police are currently unsure why Dilly attempted to enter the home’s chimney. Hickman described the presumed sequence of events, saying that the teen climbed an antenna tower to the roof and entered the chimney. His coat and glasses dropped through a flue into the second floor and a blockage between floors trapped him.

The home showed no signs of forced entry and authorities say there is no reason to believe anyone else was involved in the teen’s death.

An autopsy was conducted Tuesday to determine Dilly’s cause of death. Results have not yet been disclosed.

“This is not the outcome anyone wanted, but ... we have some closure for the family,” Hickman said.