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According to USA Today, a body was found at Dennis Mouse, the first of the Disney Mouseketeer, missing since July 2018. Susana Victoria Perez has more.
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As a little boy, Dennis Day has delighted millions of people as one of Disney's original Mouseketeers; now, as an old man, dead in still obscure circumstances, it is a poignant mystery to more than millions of people: why is he dead and why did it take nearly a year to know his destiny?

Just notice: This case could remain a mystery, joining the backlog of increasingly chilly year-round complaints, says James Alan Fox, a professor of criminology at Boston's Northeastern University, a specialist in psychology. Homicide in America and author of "The Will to Kill". . "

Until now, the public has learned that this day, 76, is dead, but that he is not a victim of homicide. The state police of Oregon, in charge of the investigation, may know it, but the spokesman, Captain Tim Fox, has no connection with the professor Fox. How to come?

"As in any investigation, it takes time," Capt said. Fox in an email to USA TODAY. "Due to the nature of this investigation (and any investigation), the police release what they can at the time so as not to compromise the integrity of the investigation."

Dennis Day as an original member of Disney's Mickey Mouse Club in the mid-1950s. (Photo: Picasa)

Day's closest relative, her sister Nelda Adkins of Coalinga, Calif., Is following police advice.

"We are deeply grateful for everything that allowed us to put an end to Dennis' disappearance," she told USA TODAY in an email. "But because of the ongoing investigation, I am unable to discuss it in part."

According to Professor Fox, it's not unusual that the police make fun of an investigation.

"Sometimes they want to keep secret information they know only the killer is aware of," says Fox. "Sometimes they try not to interfere or" show "the local police, if there is any information (about the case) that embarrasses the first investigators, sometimes it's both. . "

Anyway, says Fox, the police do not have to share.

"It's easier to say" we're not ready to reveal any information at this stage of an open investigation, "said Professor Fox." They do not have to reveal the details or what has happened or what they have found. If this ever had to be brought before a court, then that would be revealed, but not until someone is charged. "

By way of comparison, Professor Fox said that about 65% of homicide cases at the national level were resolved and that two-thirds of those resolved were resolved in two or three days. This means, he said, that the colder the cold, the harder it is to solve.

The mysterious case of Day is now almost a year old. Theoretically, "it could remain a mystery forever," he said. "It happens, many cold cases are so cold that they are frozen and a little bit of luck is needed to solve them."

Oregon State Police confirmed Thursday that a body had been found on April 4 in the rural Day House in Phoenix, Oregon, In fact, it is the ancient day Mouseketeer, who sang and danced on millions of black and white television screens across the country in the mid-1950s, wearing 39; a mouse-ear bonnet and a sweater adorned with his name. .

The Oregon Medical Examiner's office identification took place two months after the discovery of the body and eleven months after Day's disappearance from his home in Phoenix in July 2018.

He left behind his dog and his beloved dog and husband / partner for more than 45 years, Ernest Caswell, who was hospitalized after a fall the day he disappeared and suffers from memory disorders related to the dementia, according to Lt. Jeff Price of the tiny police department in Phoenix who initially investigated the case in 2018.

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Due to memory problems, two weeks passed before Caswell, hospitalized, realized that Day had not come. only then was the Phoenix police informed of his disappearance. The only thing Caswell could remember was that Day had planned to visit friends on the day of his disappearance, Price told USA TODAY.

But there are still more questions than answers about what happened to Day.

How was the body identified? It was too decomposed to be recognized or to use DNA or dental records, police said. So what other method was used?

"I do not know if there is another way," says Professor Fox. "But it's strange to identify a body by a method other than DNA or teeth. Indirect evidence maybe?"

Where exactly has the body been found? According to Price, the excavations of the house and its property, as well as the surrounding countryside, were carried out several times at the beginning of the investigation after July 2018. Why the body does not have not been spotted at the time? Was it in the water, like a stream, a lake or a well?

What was the cause of death? Until now, it's always secret, without knowing if it was an accident, a suicide or a criminal act. If his death was an accident or a suicide, why would investigators not say it immediately?

Why were there delays in the notification of the family? Price said the Phoenix police did not know how to contact his family and that Caswell, who was then in care, could not do anything. Six months later, after the research failed, a news channel from the Oregon TV channel reported the case. That's when the niece of Day, Janel Showers, who lives in Oregon, learned of her disappearance and informed her sister.

Why was Day's car found 200 miles away by two strangers? The occupants of his car, who have not yet been named, claimed Day had borrowed them. It was impounded on July 26, 2018 by the Oregon State Police and was later searched, but there was no sign of foul play and the couple was released. said Price. What was their role, if any, in the disappearance and death of Day?

Why did the Oregon State Police retake the investigation? "It's not so unusual that a local affair, if it fails, is taken over by the state police, especially if the police department of a small town is missing. resources or experience, "says Professor Fox.

At the same time, Adkins said the funeral arrangements for Day were still pending and that Caswell's well-being was taken care of.

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