One of Disney‘s original Mouseketeers during The Mickey Mouse Club’s original 1950s run, Dennis Day, has been missing since last July with no sign of the 76-year-old former child star. Now, however, the search for Day has taken an unexpected turn with the discovery of human remains at Day’s home.
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According to Oregon’s The Medford Mail Tribune (via Deadline), a body was found at Day’s home in Phoenix, Oregon. The remains have not yet been identified and the police have not yet revealed how specifically the body was discovered. The Medford Assault and Death Investigation Unit is investigating the case.
Day disappeared back in July, last seen on July 15, 2018 with the missing person’s report filed by Day’s husband, Ernie Caswell, who resides in an assisted living facility due to dementia. According to Fox News, Caswell, Day had visited him and told him he was going to visit friends. When a few days passed and Day had not returned, Caswell told hospital staff that he was hoping his husband would visit. When staff was unable to contact Day, they contacted the police who performed a series of welfare checks but did not locate Day. A live-in handyman also confirmed that Day had left voluntarily.
On July 26, 2018 Day’s car was located roughly 200 miles away, being driven by two people unknown to Caswell. There was no evidence indicating foul play or that Dennis had been in the car.
“People automatically assume something must have happened because you have these two people in his car,” Lieutenant Jeff Price told Fox. “The story I have is the car was taken or possible given to a transient female for helping the handyman do some work around the house…. But Dennis was already gone at that time.”
Day’s disappearance is one that has been a complex one from the beginning. According to Price, Day and Caswell’s reclusive lifestyle has hampered the investigation due to limited information about Day’s last known physical description as well as contact with people who could shed additional light on the situation.
“His sister doesn’t like it when I say he [and his husband Ernie Casswell] were kind of reclusive,” Price said. “They didn’t leave the house. They have friends, but not that many. They weren’t social and if you saw the house you would see that they didn’t leave the house. It’s in very bad shape — very, very poor shape.”
He went on to explain that Caswell’s dementia also made it difficult to get an accurate description of Day.
“I told him, ‘The picture I have of Dennis is 10 years old. What does he look like now?’”,” Price said. “‘What’s his hair color?’ ‘What does he wear?’ He couldn’t even tell me… I tell Ernie, ‘Since nobody knows where he is, would you like me to list him as a missing person?’ … And he said yes.”
Disney’s The Mickey Mouse Club first aired from 1955 to 1959. Day appeared on the show from 1955 to 1957. The children’s variety show, which featured the Mouseketeers performing in various musical and dance numbers, was rebooted in 1977 and, perhaps most famously, from 1989 to 1994 with that iteration of the series featuring future stars such as Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera as Mouseketeers.
According to a Facebook page devoted to the search for Day, the actor is described as 5’7″ with brown and gray hair, weighting roughly 150lbs. Anyone with information about Day’s disappearance is encouraged to call Lt. Jeff Price of the Phoenix Police Department at 541-535-1133, ext. 309, or the anonymous tip line at 1-888-960-6450.
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