Decomposing Body Found in Shelbyville Apartment

Update: 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1

The person whose body was found in a Shelbyville apartment has been identified as 44-year-old Derek Beagle. Beagle, a Shelbyville resident, was reported missing on Nov. 24, 2018.

An autopsy will determine Beagle’s exact cause of death, but foul play is not suspected, Shelbyville Police said Tuesday. 

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A sheet of black plastic hung behind the window of a downtown apartment on East Broadway, obscuring the view into the second-floor unit.

The landlord’s son-in-law discovered a decomposing body inside the apartment after residents noticed a distinct odor drifting from the building, neighbors said.

Shelbyville police confirmed they were alerted Monday and had launched a death investigation. Authorities were unable to immediately identify the deceased due to the degree of decomposition.

The discovery was made on East Broadway, east of South Harrison Street, in an apartment unit above Chaperral Cafe.

Marvin Corn, a tenant who had lived in a neighboring unit for six years, said he was there when authorities inspected and left with the body.

“It looked like [the person] was wrapped up in a blanket in a backroom or attic-type space,” Corn told News 8. “The smell started getting really bad about a week ago.”

Investigators were unable to confirm the cause or approximate time of death, or if the circumstances appeared suspicious.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the person’s cause of death. The identity of the deceased is unknown.

(Photo by Shelbyville PD.)