Missing Mansfield couple: Body found in Dayton house confirmed as missing man

DAYTON — The body of Todd Burkhart, 28, of Mansfield, was found in a vacant house at the corner of Wildwood Avenue and West Stewart Street, according to the Montgomery County Coroner’s office.

RELATED: Death of missing Mansfield man ruled a homicide

Burkhart’s body was discovered Friday evening.

Dayton police said belongings of the missing Mansfield couple were found in the area, including behind the house in the wooded area.

RELATED: Missing Mansfield couple’s car turns up in Dayton; police ask public for help

One body found in vacant Dayton house?? One body was found Friday evening inside a vacant house at the corner of Wildwood Avenue and West Stewart Street.

This is near where the silver 2003 Toyota Corolla belonging to Kyla Hayton, 20, and her boyfriend 28-year-old Todd Burkhardt, was found Wednesday. They were last seen Saturday.

“It makes me wonder what happened and why did they park on this street,” neighbor Donzella Milner said.

Wildwood Avenue residents were shocked to hear a missing persons case out of another part of Ohio involves their street.

“It’s scary, but I’m not going to go in the house and lock my doors,” Franando Milner said.

Family members of Hayton and Burkhart said they dropped off a child on Saturday and were headed to Columbus, and then possibly on to Dayton. Relatives told Mansfield police they may have been trying to get a gun in Dayton for protection, a report stated.

When their Corolla turned up Wednesday in a small parking lot at Stewart and Wilwood, the “driver door window was broken,” according to a Dayton police report.

No one was inside, and several items of clothing were outside the car on the ground.

Officers also found three silver 9mm shell casings on the ground behind the car, but police noted they appeared old with “no evidence to suggest foul play” around the car.

Neighbors said police officers came by, showing them pictures of the couple, asking if they'd seen them.

But Donzella Milner said, unfortunately, that with a lot of traffic on their street people might not have noticed the couple, nor their car.

“We’re just down here minding our own business and we don’t pay attention to every car that goes up and down the street,” she said.