Body Found in Oregon Identified as Missing Disney Mouseketeer

In tragic news today, the death of one of the original Disney Mouseketeers, Dennis Day, has been confirmed. Day had been missing from the Phoenix, Oregon area since July 2018, and his family had been searching for him ever since that time, even creating a "Help Us Find Dennis Day!" Facebook Page to help with the search effort.

Day's remains were discovered at his home in Phoenix, Oregon back in April; they were in such bad condition that the Oregon State Medical Examiner's office couldn't readily identify them using the usual DNA or dental records. After getting confirmation that it was indeed Day found in the home, his niece, Janel Showers, posted the following on the "Help Us Find Dennis Day!" Facebook Page:

"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!"

As stated in the post, the investigation into the cause of Day's death is still ongoing. No word from police if the death is being ruled an accident or homicide; Day's remains were discovered on April 5th, but there's been no information released about how long they had been there - or (more importantly), why they never discovered in previous sweeps by police, during the nearly year-long search for Day.

Day, 76, was famous for being one of the original Mouseketeers in Disney's Mickey Mouse Club back in the 1950s; he had settled in Phoenix, Oregon with his partner of nearly 50 years, Ernest Caswell. The wrinkle in his already strange story is that Caswell is afflicted with memory loss due to dementia; because of that condition, he didn't report Day's disappearance to police for almost two weeks, and failed to inform his family altogether. The family eventually learned of the incident some six months later, when the story was running on local news. Day's car was eventually discovered 200 miles away from his home, on the Oregon coast, in the possession of two people claiming the aging Mouseketeer let them borrow it. A police search of the vehicle turned up no signs of foul play, leaving this bizarre mystery still unsolved.

Our condolences go out to the family and friend of Dennis Day.