A 49-year-old man found dead in a snow-covered patch of woods near Neva Drive and La Crosse Avenue died of hypothermia, according to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office. Robert Haney was discovered roughly 200 yards from that intersection, and his death was ruled accidental.
Body Found About 200 Yards Into the Trees
Haney’s body turned up in a snowy, wooded area about 200 yards from the Neva Drive and La Crosse Avenue intersection, according to WDTN. The station reported the discovery happened in February, though the station’s account does not specify the date. A separate report from Eagle Dayton states that Haney’s body was found in the area on Feb. 12, 2026.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said a dead person had been reported in the area of Neva Drive and La Crosse Avenue around 4 p.m., according to the Dayton Daily News. That outlet reported the body remained under investigation by the sheriff’s office’s Special Investigations Unit.
Coroner Rules Death Accidental
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office determined Haney’s cause of death was hypothermia and ruled the manner of death accidental, per the same Eagle Dayton account. The report also noted that the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said evidence suggested Haney was homeless.
WDTN said it was still working to learn more about the case as of its report.
Second Outdoor Hypothermia Death in Under Two Years
WDTN reported that Haney was the second person to die of hypothermia while outside in the Miami Valley during a freezing winter in less than two years. The station drew a comparison to the earlier death of Trenton Ladd, who was found on Jan. 5, 2025, according to a Yahoo News report citing Dayton police Lt. Steve Bauer, who said officers arrived to find a deceased male.
Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger later ruled that Ladd died accidentally from hypothermia, with recent drug use listed as a contributing factor, according to the same Yahoo News report.
