BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — A Beckley man was charged with multiple felonies after Beckley Police officers found a body in a wooded area in Raleigh County.

On February 1, 2023, Beckley Police Officers were dispatched to a wooded area near the intersection of Scott Avenue and Twelfth Street to investigate a possible dead body. Officers arrived on scene, met with witnesses and confirmed a body was indeed found.

Detective Corporal M.P. Deems arrived on scene after the officers confirmed a body was found and started to investigate. Deems observed the victim was barefoot, but had clean feet signifying they might not have walked to the muddied, wooded area themselves.

On February 2, 2023, Deems made contact with the victim’s aunt. The aunt stated the victim had lived with them and had last made contact with the victim on Friday, January 27, 2023. On that date, the victim had a friend pick them up and that was the last time the aunt had seen the victim.

Detective Corporal M.P. Deems was able to obtain the victim’s phone and Facebook Messenger records where they learned on January 31, 2023, the victim expressed through messages they were with a man identified as Dewey Reese. On February 18, 2023, Deems was able to interview Dewey Reese where Reese expressed him and the victim were doing drugs together on the night of January 31, 2023 into February 1, 2023.

On the night of January 31, 2023, Reese and the victim were allegedly doing meth and heroin when the victim overdosed. After sometime, Reese confirmed the victim was dead and decided to put the victim’s body in a shopping cart before dumping in the wooded area.

Dewey Reese was charged with the felony crime of failure to render aid and concealment of a deceased human body. Reese’s sentencing date has not been announced at this time.

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