SALEM, Mo. (KY3) – A man from Salem has been charged after authorities found a dead body on his property Friday morning.
According to court records, 44-year-old Brian Ditch is charged with stealing $25,000 or more, three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, tampering with physical evidence, and abandonment of a corpse.
According to the Salem Police Department, around 8 a.m., Salem police officers and Dent County deputies conducted a search warrant in the 1200 block of N. Main Street in Salem.
Police say the search warrant was an extension of an investigation into a missing persons and fraud case.
Authorities found a body at the property, and the coroner ruled the person dead. An autopsy for the cause of death is underway. One man is in custody on a 24-hour hold pending the application of the warrants.
Authorities say Ditch was stealing from his uncle, who was a quadriplegic. According to court documents, the relative was receiving Veteran’s Affairs benefits and Ditch had access to the money as the relative’s caretaker.
On Friday, authorities found the body wrapped in several trash bags and in a trash can. That trash can was then wrapped in more trash bags and placed inside a bigger trash can.
According to court documents, other relatives reportedly last saw the relative, living with Ditch, in 2019.
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