DAYTON — The body of Todd Burkhart, 28, has been found in a vacant home at the corner of Wildwood Avenue and West Stewart Avenue, the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office confirmed.
The office said they will perform an autopsy on Burkhart on Saturday to determine cause of death, but results will not be released until Monday.
Burkhart and Kyla Hayton, 20, were last seen Nov. 16 when they dropped Hayton’s daughter off in Columbus with her grandparents and told family they’d be traveling to Dayton, possibly to purchase an firearm for a friend. The couple was to return Nov. 17, according to Dayton police.
Hayton remained missing Saturday morning.
The car was found in the 900 block of West Stewart Avenue in Dayton, according to Dayton police. There are reports of one window in the car being broken-in.
“Near the alley leading to the parking lot, directly behind the vehicle, were tire marks. Based on the dirt piled up at the end of one of the tire marks, it appeared that the vehicle had come from the west, towards the east, and came to a sudden stop directly behind the vehicle,” the police report said.
The vehicle was not reported stolen and was parked on private property. It was towed and will be examined by Mansfield police Thursday or Friday.
“If anyone in the Dayton area by Wildwood and Stewart (streets) have seen my brother or his girlfriend please contact the police,” Burkhart’s sister, Courtney, said in a Facebook post. “The car they were driving was found with the windows busted. The car had at least been there for two days like that. If you have any information that might help please tell someone. All we want is their safe return.”
She told police her brother was going to Dayton to purchase an “AR-style” rifle. Burkhart had mentioned knowing a man that he was in prison who would sell him a gun. She said she received a text from her brother when they arrived in Dayton in which he told her they’d be buying the gun and then heading back. That was the last time she’s heard from the couple.
The car was found near one of the addresses allegedly used by Burkhart’s prison friend, Dayton police said. The man was not located.
Anyone with information about their disappearance is asked to contact either the Dayton Police Department or Mansfield Police Department detective Ronee Swisher at 419-755-9724.
