On July 14, 1976, 42-year-old John Grey, a courier for Indianapolis, Indiana’s Bankers Dispatch Corporation, made an unexpected and startling discovery during his route. At 9:30am, John turned down a secluded lane just off of Spring Mill Road in nearby Carmel, Indiana to relieve himself when something caught his eye. Lying in a wooded area approximately 40 feet off of the road, John saw what initially appeared to be a roll of opaque plastic. However, upon closer inspection he noticed a pair of feet slightly protruding from one end. Using his car’s radio, John notified his dispatcher who in turn, contacted police.
The unidentified person was found just northeast of the intersection of West 116th street and Spring Mill Road in a small densely wooded area. A sparsely populated area at the time, the only residence nearby was an abandoned farm. The unidentified body, found wrapped in several layers of thick construction grade plastic and tied with three electrical cords, was taken to a nearby Noblesville, Indiana hospital for autopsy.
Beneath the plastic “shroud,” was the severely decomposed body of a young man estimated to be in his early 20s. He was completely nude and wore no jewelry. The autopsy revealed that he suffered a blow to the head that had caused a bruise on his skull, however the injury was not severe enough to cause death. No other injuries were found. While the hospital’s pathologist awaited the results of a toxicology test, police set out to learn the identity of the unknown victim, who for “health reasons,” was quickly buried in a Carmel cemetery.
Three days later, the body was identified through dental records as 22-year-old Michael Dean Riley, a psychology student at Muncie, Indiana’s Ball State University. Michael had been reported missing by Ball State University staff on July 9th after he failed to attend the start of his summer classes. Police learned on July 2nd, Michael had finished his shift at the United Consumers Club then caught a ride home from a fellow employee. After changing clothes, the employee dropped Michael off along Interstate 69. Michael then hitchhiked to a friend’s home in Indianapolis.
According to the unnamed friend, Michael stayed at his house that evening and the following night. On the night of the 4th, the pair attended a Fourth of July party together. Michael supposedly left the party on foot, presumably to hitchhike back to his Muncie home. After that, Michael dropped out of sight until the discovery of his body 10 days later.
Several witnesses came forward claiming they had smelled a strong odor in the area for several days. They had, however, written the smell off as nothing more than a dead animal. Another person told investigators they had seen an older car parked near the lane about a week prior. According to the witness, two men were inside the vehicle. One got out, opened the trunk, and took something into the woods before emerging a short time later.
When the toxicology results became available, it was determined that Michael had overdosed. Alcohol, along with a large quantity of Doriden, a sleep aid normally given to people with insomnia, was found in Michael’s bloodstream. It was estimated he had consumed between 10 to 13 1mg tablets of the medication.
Michael excelled academically and was considered a model student at Ball State. He had no disciplinary problems, and had never been arrested. Though Michael was known to occasionally drink, acquaintances denied having ever witnessed Michael consume drugs of any kind.
Michael had gotten married two years prior to a woman named Rebecca, however I could find no additional information about their relationship. Michael’s father had passed away in 1960. His mother, Mary, and stepfather, Forrest, lived in Florida at the time of his death, however returned to Indiana for a short time during the investigation. After Michael’s body was exhumed and moved to a cemetery in West Lebanon, Indiana, the pair returned to their home in Florida.
The investigation into Michael’s death continued for a short time. However despite conflicting stories from party goers that evening, no arrests were made. Michael’s case was eventually taken before a grand jury. The final report read in part;
“After interrogating some 17 or 18 witnesses, it is the consensus of the grand jury that Riley died of an overdose of drugs, either self-induced, accidentally taken, or by a prank played on him. The jury concludes that because of the drug use going on among the deceased associates an election was made for disposal of the body……someone thus conceived the plan to mysteriously dispose of the body in a secluded place. There is little doubt assistance was required in ‘packaging’ the body.”
The report concluded by determining that because the drug use had occurred in Indianapolis, the case would be turned over to the Indianapolis Police Department for further investigation. Unfortunately, no suspects were ever named and no arrests ever came.
The murder of Michael Dean Riley remains unsolved.
Sources
Photos, Death Certificate, Clippings-
Find A Grave Michael- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27606213/michael-dean-riley
Find A Grave Mary (Michael’s mom)- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/150471518/mary-elizabeth-scott
Find A Grave Forrest (Michael’s Step Dad)- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/150471485/forrest-lavern-scott
Find A Grave- Virgil (Michael’s Dad)- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27606245/virgil-d-riley