Detectives remain cautious in Kirts case

Friday, August 19, 2011

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.

Comments
View 3 comments
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • Didn't some man take care of both boys? Kirts was the step-brother to the other "friend" Gibson you are mentioning. They were relatives. Not just friends.

    Maybe ask the man who took care of both boys a few more questions and ignore his false sappy story of love for both of them.

    Or perhaps the guardian was attempting to get rid of them through others.

    Just saying.

    Two people from the same family don't usually just end up murdered and found dead randomly with less than a 1 1/2 time frame.

    -- Posted by Apollo13 on Fri, Aug 19, 2011, at 6:51 AM
  • Are people murdered and found alive? From what I am reading, whether or not he was murdered has not be determined. It could be an overdose, suicide, or natural causes.

    -- Posted by marigold on Fri, Aug 19, 2011, at 10:03 AM
  • Are people murdered and found alive? From what I am reading, whether or not he was murdered has not be determined. It could be an overdose, suicide, or natural causes.

    -- Posted by marigold on Fri, Aug 19, 2011, at 10:12 AM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: