NEW DETAILS: Police used GPS data to find Dayton man’s body in creek

Dayton police said dispatchers had lattitude and longitude information but are trained to listen to the caller for location information

GPS data was received during the 911 call Charles Romine made Sept. 18 when he was confused about where he was, but dispatchers “are trained that the primary source of location information comes from the caller,” according to a statement sent out Friday afternoon by Dayton police.

Romine, 71, was found dead two days later — Sept. 20 — at least three miles northwest of the downtown Dayton location he described in his 2:22 p.m. call Sept. 18.

The statement said historical GPS data was used by a Special Victims Unit detective to locate Romine’s deceased body in Wolf Creek near the area of Philadelphia Drive and James H. McGee Boulevard. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said it will not comment until its investigation is complete.

RELATED: Family, friend talked to 911 the day before man’s body was found in creek

“The Dayton Police Department extends our sincere condolences to the family of Charles Romine regarding their loss,” the Friday release said. “Several attempts have been made to meet in person with members of Mr. Romine’s family to inform them about the investigation and the extensive efforts of the Dayton Police Department to locate Mr. Romine.”

The statement said: “In examining the original dispatch record, it was learned that GPS data which contains longitude and latitude information was received during the initial 911 call from Mr. Romine’s cell phone.”

Dayton police denied a public records request from this news organization for internal emails about the efforts to get information from Romine’s cell phone provider.

When Romine called 911, he said: “I need a rescue. I’ve been on these rocks for, like, three hours.”

RELATED: Vigil for Dayton man found in Wolf Creek turns into call for justice

He also said he didn’t want to be humiliated, but that he knew he needed help. “I don’t want to be looking embarrassed, that’s the main thing,” Romine told the dispatcher. “But I don’t want to lose my life, either.”

Dayton police’s Friday statement also said: “At times, the GPS coordinates are not available or can be less accurate than the information provided by a caller. Hence, Montgomery County Regional Dispatch personnel relied upon location information as provided by Mr. Romine.”

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The statement provided a series of some events “after an internal review of records and information from Montgomery County Dispatch Center.” They included: Romine called 911 and said he was in the alley across from the Community Blood Center; A Check Welfare call was generated and two officers responded; Dispatchers called Romine’s number twice but could not get through.

On Sept. 19, Romine’s relatives reported him missing and two Dayton officers were dispatched. At the request of officers, the regional dispatch center attempted to locate current GPS coordinates from the cellular phone provider, but Romine’s cellular phone was not communicating with the network, according to the statement.

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Romine’s family planned to meet at 1 p.m. Saturday on the bridge over Wolf Creek to march to the Dayton police department and City Hall. The family has told this news organization that they feel the case was an injustice.

Dayton police said the investigation into Romine’s death is still open pending a coroner’s report..

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