January 1, Dying Witness Unveils Twist in Cold Case

Authorities in eastern Ohio have closed a 60-year-old cold case murder, thanks to a witness who spoke up from his hospital bed in 2017, fearing he was dying. The Miami County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) released a statement providing details of the chilling case.

Daisy Evelyn Shelton, 43, from Dayton, was brutally murdered and dismembered in 1964. Her remains were discovered in multiple locations. A fisherman found an arm in a gravel pit near Tipp City, while another discovered a burlap bag containing her torso in a channel of the old Miami Erie canal just four days later. Authorities later found Shelton’s head and one of her legs in the canal.

The case remained unsolved until four years ago when a key witness, fearing for his life, confessed to a nurse while in the hospital. He survived and was later interviewed by detectives. According to the MCSO statement, the witness confessed to seeing the suspect fatally bludgeon Shelton with a hammer in a home. Her body was then cut up and scattered in water bodies in and around Tipp City.

Investigators interviewed the suspect multiple times. Initially, he denied knowing Daisy Shelton, despite living on the same street and working for the same employer. However, in August 2017, he reluctantly admitted knowing her. The suspect claimed that the witness had his DNA on the box used to transport Shelton’s dismembered remains as a setup. Nevertheless, he admitted that Shelton could have been killed in his home and that the box was in his possession. The MCSO statement also revealed that the suspect admitted he looked guilty and could possibly be convicted in court.

The witness testified before a Grand Jury but died before the prosecution began. The suspect died in September 2022 at the age of 92. Neither the witness nor the suspect was named in the MCSO statement.

Maria Walling, Shelton’s granddaughter, told a local news outlet, “It’s very shocking that a human being can do that to another human being. I mean, what kind of animal are they?” A third suspect was implicated in the murder, according to the outlet.

MCSO acknowledged that cold case murders are among the most difficult for investigators, but revisiting cases is a crucial aspect of bringing a sense of justice to the victim’s family, even if it comes long after the crime occurred. With the Miami County Prosecutor’s Office’s approval, the MCSO has now closed the case.

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