2 sought in connection with death of man in Darby
DARBY BOROUGH » Nearly a week after the body of a 57-year-old Clifton Heights man was found in the back seat of a parked car, police Monday appealed to the public for help in identifying two individuals who were seen “running through the streets and alleyways together as they fled Darby Borough” in the early morning hours of Oct. 24.
Brad Hayes, a retired U.S. Postal employee, was found in the back seat of a black Chrysler 300, which was parked in the 100 block of Summit Street, in front of Penn Wood Middle School, shortly after 4 a.m. on Oct. 24. He suffered from “a number of injuries” and he was taken to Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to a release issued Monday by Darby Borough Police updating the investigation.
As the official cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation by the Delaware County Medical Examiner’s Office, borough police described Hayes’ as a “violent death” in the release. Last week, Darby Borough Police Chief Robert Smythe said detectives were handling the death as a homicide, with the final word dependent upon the medical examiner’s findings.
“Mr. Hayes’ family was notified of his death and described him as a family man who was a loving husband and father,” the release states. Hayes was last seen with his family in the early morning hours of Oct. 24 – after the Eagles game on Monday Night Football.
According to the release, police have surveillance video from a number of locations throughout the borough. Police initially found that Hayes was in the company of an individual and police are continuing to try to identify that individual, the release states. But as detectives combed through the video, a second person of interest emerged.
“This second individual was also in the area and fled when police arrived on the scene,” the release states. “This second individual was then seen meeting with the first individual. The two are observed running through the streets and alleyways together as they fled Darby Borough,” the release states.
There was no additional information regarding the two persons of interest.
Police, who released a photograph of Hayes, are asking anyone who saw him in the hours prior to his death, possibly with an individual in the vehicle parked on Summit Street, or saw two individuals running through the streets in the early morning hours of Oct. 24, to please call the police department at 610-586-1100 or 911.