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Neighbors noticed smell days before body was found in apartment above Shelbyville cafe

Decomposing body found in apartment

Shelbyille police confirmed they had opened a death investigation on East Broadway, east of South Harrison Street, after a body was found inside an apartment above Chaperral Cafe.

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 had 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 on scene when authorities inspected and left with the body.

“It looked like [the person] was wrapped up in a blanket in a back room 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.

Chelsea Burnine, a former subtenant who had lived in the unit adjacent to the one where the body was found, said she was “shocked” by the investigation.

“I was like, ‘What is going on?’” Burnine told News 8. “That’s crazy. Nothing like this ever happens here.”

Wilma Amaro, another Shelbyville resident, said she had eaten at the cafe and gone to work at the bank next door without noticing anything out of the ordinary in the days preceding the discovery.

“I am shocked,” Amaro said. “I’ve never heard anything like this in this small town. [My family] moved here because it’s so quiet.”

Cafe patrons and passersby described the investigation as “unusual,” “unprecedented” and “very, very wild.”

Several residents questioned if the deceased could be a man reported missing in 2018. Shelbyville police did not immediately respond to inquiries from News 8.

An autopsy will be conducted to identify the body, authorities said.