Butter Cafe ‘devastated’ but still open

Co-founder’s cause and manner of death pending, officials say.

The Butter Cafe restaurant will remain open, its co-founder said Tuesday, despite the death of her business partner, who was found dead in a room above the restaurant Sunday morning.

Amy Beaver, the co-founder of the cafe at 1106 Brown St. in Dayton, released a statement Tuesday, two days after finding Butter Cafe co-founder Sarah Dudley, 39, dead of a suspected overdose.

“As you can imagine, we are devastated by this loss and offer our condolences to Sarah’s family,” Beaver’s statement said in part.

“Sarah was found unresponsive in an apartment separated from the restaurant and was later pronounced deceased. Sarah was a dear friend and large part of our lives and will be missed,” Beaver’s statement said.

Beaver and Dudley founded the restaurant together in 2010.

David Duncan, a former employee of Butter Cafe, also was found in the room. He was treated with Narcan at the scene,

and he remained hospitalized.

Duncan, 30, was the former kitchen manager at the restaurant.

“Though he has not worked for Butter Café for an extended period of time, we continue to pray for his complete recovery,” Beaver wrote.

She added: “At this time, we ask for privacy as we grieve the untimely loss of such a valuable member of the Butter Café family and long-time family friend. Butter Café remains open and operating under normal business hours. We appreciate your patronage and sympathy during this difficult time.”

Police said they located seven capsules that contained an unknown substance in the room where Dudley and Duncan were found, and they were collected as evidence.

The cause and manner of Dudley’s death is pending and this case remains under investigation, according to a Montgomery County Coroner’s Office spokesman on Tuesday.

No information regarding funeral services for Dudley was available Tuesday.

Hundreds of patrons, community members and other businesses reacted on social media to the news of Dudley’s death.

One of them read: “Heartbreaking. Condolences from the Smales Pretzel Bakery family.”