Salem police charge man after finding body in a suitcase inside car trunk

Bill Poehler, Salem Statesman Journal
·1 min read
A former Boy Scout leader from Salem was arraigned Monday on charges that he sexually abused an 11-year-old boy in 2017 and continued to stalk him through social media for years after the abuse took place.

One person was arrested after Salem Police found a suitcase in a car contained a deceased person.

According to Salem Police, officers responded Thursday morning to the Claxter Court Apartments in north Salem after someone reported seeing someone move a large suitcase from an apartment into the trunk of a vehicle in the parking lot.

When officers arrived, they found a vehicle belonging to Richard Flennory, 59, a resident of the apartments who hadn’t been seen in several days.

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When they opened the trunk of his car, they found the suitcase. His body was inside.

Two individuals were found living in Flennory’s apartment. One was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

The state medical examiner’s office determined no foul play in Flennory’s death after an autopsy, according to Salem Police. According to police, Flennory had health issues that may have contributed to his death.

Police said when the individual found Flennory dead, he put him in the suitcase and the trunk to avoid a police visit. The person who moved Flennory’s body was charged with abuse of a corpse.

Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@statesmanjournal.com or Twitter.com/bpoehler

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This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem police charge man after body discovered in trunk