SECOND UPDATE: Two Oregon women allegedly stole a car and jewelry that belonged to Mouseketeer Dennis Day, whose body was discovered in his home in April.
Wanda Garcia and Lori Declusin face felony charges for stealing Day’s white 1990s Ford Escort station wagon, the Mail Tribune reported. Garcia also is accused of selling a brooch that belonged to Day last July, less than a week after he was last seen alive.
Declusin was arrested Wednesday and charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Garcia was nabbed Thursday. Police have not said if they are suspected to have a role in Day’s death. His decomposed remains were identified earlier in June.
Declusin was released from custody while Garcia was held on $15,000 bail, the Mail Tribune reported.
UPDATE: Oregon state police have confirmed that a body found in April is original Mouseketeer Dennis Day.
The body was found April 5 at Day’s Phoenix, Oregon home, but was badly decomposed, hindering identification by dental records or DNA. Day had been missing since July 2018. Police discovering the body had merely identified it as “human remains” until the tests confirmed the identity.
No cause of death was revealed, and police are still investigating. Until that is concluded, no cause of death or determination of foul play or accident were revealed.
Day’s niece, Janel Showers, confirmed the death on the “Help Us Find Dennis Day!” Facebook page the family set up.
“Our family would like to take this time to share with you that the remains found in Dennis and (husband) Ernie’s home have been officially identified as our beloved Brother and Uncle, Dennis Day. The cause of death is under investigation by the Oregon State Police so we will not be making any comments or answering any questions at this time,” the post said.
“Our family is truly thankful to the Oregon State Police for helping to bring closure to our family so that we can finally lay Dennis to rest. We love you Brother & Uncle Dennis!”
Day was 76 when he vanished from his rural central Oregon home. The disappearance came as his partner of more than 45 years, Ernest Caswell, was hospitalized after a fall and then transferred to assisted care. That resulted in a delay in reporting Day missing, and the family only learned about the disappearance from local news.
EARLIER: Police have found human remains at the home of actor and original “Mouseketeer” Dennis Day, reported missing since July 2018, Oregon State Police said.
The remains have not been identified, nor have the police revealed how the remains were discovered, according to The Medford Mail Tribune.
Day, who would now be 76, was a Mouseketeer in the original 1950s run of Walt Disney’s The Mickey Mouse Club. He was reported missing by his husband, who had memory loss and was in a hospital at the time of his disappearance, Oregon Live reported.
According to reports, Day told neighbors he was headed out for a few days, then disappeared, but not before he left his dog with a friend, something “uncharacteristic” of him, according to a police report.
His car was found July 26, 2018 on the Oregon coast. Day’s family, who claimed they were unaware of his disappearance, set up a “Help Us Find Dennis Day!” Facebook page, where they post updates on the investigation.
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