Police have confirmed that a body found in April at an Oregon home is that of missing man Dennis Day, who was an original member of Disney’s “The Mickey Mouse Club.”
Day, who was 76, was a Mouseketeer with Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club for two years in the mid-1950s. He vanished in July 2018 from Phoenix in rural central Oregon.
An Oregon state police press release states they were unable to use DNA or dental records due to the condition of the body.
There is no word yet on the cause of death, nor whether it was the result of foul play or accident. The state police investigation remains ongoing, the press release said.
The family had set up a Facebook page called “Help Us Find Dennis Day!” That is where his niece confirmed the news of his death.
“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,”
“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 left behind his beloved cat and dog and his partner of more than 45 years, Ernest Caswell, who suffers from dementia-related memory problems and had been hospitalized after a fall and then transferred to assisted care. Mr. Caswell’s health issue may have contributed to a two-week delay in reporting Day’s disappearance to police. Sadly, his family was not notified he was missing until six months later and only heard about it on local news reports.
The body was found April 5th, 2019, but police have not given any information about how long it had been there, or how it was missed in previous searches