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On December 07th, 2025 at 13:25 hours our Office received a 911 call reporting the discovery of possible human skeletal remains in the detached garage of an abandoned residence on Crestline Bloominggrove Rd. Uniformed Deputies responded to the location and concluded the skeletal remains were consistent with human remains. The scene was secured and the Richland County Coroner’s Office was contacted.
On December 08th, 2025, Richland County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Detectives, Richland County Coroner’s Office Investigators along with the Mercyhurst University’s Forensic Anthropology Team and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation & Identification’s (BCI&I) Crime Scene Units arrived at the scene to complete the processing of the crime scene and the identification of the remains. The scene was processed and the skeletal remains were collected by Mercyhurst University’s team for identification.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office who advised they had an open missing persons investigation and provided our Office with a possible identity of the deceased person. The person had been reported missing in February of 2023. Utilizing dental records, a Mercyhurst University forensic odontologist was able to confirm the identity of the deceased person as Dustin R. Engler, age 43 from Galion, Ohio. The cause of death remains undetermined pending continued investigation. The Richland County Coroner’s Office has confirmed the notification of the deceased’s next of kin prior to this release.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work with the Richland County Coroner’s Office and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office as this investigation continues.
Anyone wishing to provide information concerning this investigation may contact the Richland County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit tipline by dialing 419-774-5610.