A 22-year-old Middletown man has died after being found with serious injuries near Greenfield Drive and Spring Grove Lane, and police are now investigating his death as a homicide. Amonte Lee Holdbrooks was rushed to a Middletown trauma center before being transferred to a Dayton hospital, where he later died.
According to WLWT, Middletown police were called to the area near Greenfield Drive and Spring Grove Lane around 10 p.m. on Wednesday after a report of a person down. Officers arrived to find Holdbrooks with serious injuries, though police have not disclosed what caused them. The intersection sits in a residential neighborhood in the eastern part of the city within ZIP code 45044, according to Geographic.org.
Holdbrooks was first taken to Atrium Medical Center in Middletown before being transferred to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, where he ultimately died, the station's report states. Atrium operates as a Level III Emergency Trauma Center, while Miami Valley Hospital houses southwest Ohio's regional adult Level I Trauma Center, equipped to handle the most severe, life-threatening injuries, according to Premier Health. Because Holdbrooks died at a hospital in Dayton, his autopsy and official cause-of-death determination fall under the jurisdiction of the Montgomery County Coroner's Office rather than local Butler County authorities.
Detective Seeking Tips as Cause Remains Unclear
The Middletown Division of Police has asked anyone with information about Holdbrooks' death to come forward. Detective Connor Kirby, the lead investigator on the case, can be reached directly at 513-425-7736. Residents can also reach the department's non-emergency dispatch line at 513-425-7700.
Kirby has handled other severe violent crime cases requiring emergency trauma transfers between the two hospitals. In December 2025, he led an investigation into a stabbing on Bonita Drive in which the victim was similarly rushed to Atrium Medical Center before being transferred to Miami Valley Hospital, a case that also involved the theft of a police cruiser, per Police1.
Second Homicide Probe in Weeks for Middletown Police
Holdbrooks' death marks the second homicide investigation opened by Middletown police in a matter of weeks. On July 2, the department launched a separate homicide investigation after a man was shot and killed in the 1300 block of Yankee Road, roughly three miles west of where Holdbrooks was found, according to a release from the Middletown Division of Police.
The city has also seen recent homicide cases move through the courts. In February, a Butler County jury convicted Brandon Davis of aggravated murder in the execution-style killing of 35-year-old Asiah Slone, whose body was found in a Middletown trash container, as Hoodline reported on the guilty verdict.
Statistical modeling for 2025 estimated Middletown's violent crime rate at approximately 2.65 incidents per 1,000 residents, with total tangible community costs from violent crime projected at $18.36 million, according to CrimeGrade.org. That figure sits below Ohio's statewide violent crime rate of roughly 2.9 incidents per 1,000 residents in 2025, which itself trailed the national average of 3.6 incidents per 1,000 residents, per Fortress Law Group.
Police have not said whether a weapon was involved in Holdbrook's death or whether investigators have identified any suspects or a motive. Those details remain unresolved as the investigation continues.
