What we know: Body ID’d after being pulled from a drainage reservoir

A man missing since January has been identified as the deceased person found Sunday afternoon in a Middletown drainage reservoir.

Steven Baker, 49, who had not been seen by friends and loved ones since Jan. 3, was identified as the person found in the water around 2:30 p.m. at Carmody Boulevard and Ohio 73, Middletown police Sgt. Raquib Ahmed said.

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Middletown police are still investigating the death and are waiting on the coroner’s report to rule out foul play. At this time, the death does not appear to be suspicious, police said.

An autopsy was performed Monday at the Butler County Coroner’s Office. The cause of death is pending.

Someone called police at about 2:45 p.m. Sunday about a body in the water, Middletown Maj. David Birk said. Officers went to the scene and Baker’s body was pulled out of the water.

In the 911 call, a man told a Middletown dispatcher he was driving by and saw a flannel shirt and two feet.

“It almost looks like it could have been a body, but I am not sure,” the caller said. He added he was driving by, but turned around “because it caught my eye.”

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