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Canton man’s body found in home 6 months after death

By Jon Andreassi 2 min read
article image - Jon Andreassi | Herald-Standard
Police found the body of a man who had been dead for about six months in this Canton Township house.

Greene County Regional Police Department is investigating after a man’s decomposed body was found in a Canton Township home last week.

According to department Chief William DeForte, investigators found the remains of 64-year-old Michael Bebout in a bedroom at his 500 Hayes Ave. home at about 8 a.m. Jan. 16.

DeForte said Bebout had been dead for about six months before his death was reported, and “several” people may have been living at the home. Homicide or foul play has been ruled out, he said.

“When the officer entered the residence, he had first noticed a large amount of dog feces that pretty much extended from wall to wall,” DeForte said. “Going to the bedroom, the officer saw the decedent was in an advanced state of decomposition,” DeForte said. “The scene was macabre.”

DeForte said police found no animals inside the house.

Police arrived to find an unidentified person who had spent the night in the house and claimed to discover the body in the morning. “We found holes in the story,” DeForte said.

According to DeForte, Bebout’s body was turned over to the Washington County coroner’s office. The specific cause and manner of death are still under investigation, but DeForte says it appears Bebout died of natural causes.

“The direction of the investigation turned toward the reasons why authorities weren’t notified that Mr. Bebout had passed six months ago,” DeForte said.

According to Bebout’s obituary, he was born March 28, 1960, in Boston, Mass. He previously worked as a manager at the former Brothers’ Pizza in Washington.

He had three children and several grandchildren.

Greene County Regional Police began covering Canton Township at the beginning of the year, according to DeForte. Last year the department expanded into Washington County and began providing police protection to South Franklin and Morris townships.

All three municipalities previously received police coverage from state police. Greene County Regional police employs 14 officers, four of whom are full time, as well as a detective.

“They wanted their own police departments because they have a lot of needs. School districts that need to be policed everyday, ordinances that need to be policed. All the townships put into the general fund of Greene County Regional Police Department,” DeForte said.

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