Detectives remain cautious in Kirts case
Officials remain cautious in drawing conclusion in the case of a Crawfordsville man whose body was found west of Greencastle on Aug. 8.
Sgt. Detective Pat McFadden of the Putnam County Sheriff's Department said Thursday he is still awaiting the results of investigations by two "specialty agencies" before determining a cause of death or approximate time of death for 25-year-old Tyler Kirts.
Teams of entomologists and anthropologists were called upon last week to assist in the investigation.
McFadden said much of the investigation is done, but the results of these tests will help officials make a more informed determination of what led to Kirts' death.
"I want to be very careful because these things can turn really quickly, and then you're dealing with something entirely different than you thought," McFadden said.
Details about the death remain unclear and authorities aren't sure foul play was involved. McFadden also said there is no apparent connection to the murder of Jeremy Gibson. A friend of Kirts, Gibson was beaten to death in Tippecanoe County on July 6.
Kirts' body was found in a grassy area behind Refuse Handling Services at 525 W. Columbia St. The condition of his body at the time of discovery led authorities to believe it had been there for at least several days.