Man arrested in the death of Mouseketeer Dennis Day
A man has been arrested in the death of Dennis Day, one of the first cast members of the 1950s TV show, “The Mickey Mouse Club.”
Daniel James Burda, 36, was arrested Friday and has been charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, abuse of a corpse, criminal mistreatment and identity theft, according to Oregon State Police.
It was not immediately clear whether Burda had an attorney.
Day, 76, had been missing for nearly a year before police announced they had found his body in June, two months after discovering his remains in his southern Oregon home.
Neighbors say Burda had lived with the elderly couple at their house, though OregonLive reports he used to be their handyman and only stayed at the house occasionally.
Day was reported missing in July 2018 by his husband, who suffers from memory loss, after he failed to visit him at the hospital for several weeks.
Later that month, officers conducted a search of the home after receiving reports of “bad smell” coming from the area.
Nearly a year later, in April, Phoenix police officers found Day’s body inside the home with the help of a cadaver dog. It was not immediately clear why the remains weren’t found in the home until April. Police haven’t said where the body was located in the house.
Day was one of the first cast members of “The Mickey Mouse Club,” the 1950s television variety show aimed at children.