Bail was set at $1.5 million for a Troy, Indiana man accused of killing his roommate and cutting off the victim’s thumb to access his cellphone.
Troy police said 25-year-old Sean Higgins was interviewed Thursday in the disappearance of 25-year-old Easton Ho and admitted to killing him.
Higgins is charged with aggravated murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, theft and receiving stolen property. He pleaded not guilty Friday in Miami County Municipal Court and is being held in the county jail.
Police in Randolph County, Indiana, found a body Friday in the area where Higgins said he disposed of Ho’s body. Officials were working on confirming identification, Troy police Chief Shawn McKinney said Friday afternoon.
The charges filed against Higgins alleged he caused the death of Ho with prior calculation, altered or destroyed evidence, stole Ho ‘s car and had his credit card. The abuse of a corpse charge alleged the cutting off of “the dead victim’s thumb and keeping it to access and use the victim’s cell phone.”
Police said they received a report around 8:30 a.m. Thursday from roommates that Ho was missing under suspicious circumstances from their apartment on Morning Glory Circle.
Others who lived in the house told police Ho was missing under suspicious circumstances, with his car, suitcase and a mattress missing and his glasses and shoes left behind, according to the incident report. McKinney said police believe Ho was killed at the apartment.
A roommate reportedly told detectives she noticed the trash was missing from the trash can Thursday morning and police said there was a smell of bleach in the garage, where bleach bottles were found in the recycling bin. They also reported seeing blood spatter on the garage floor, according to a police report.
“Roommates of … Ho reported that he had sent strange texts to them at 2:45 a.m. and failed to show up at work that morning in Miamisburg,” McKinney said. Police believe Higgins, not Ho, sent the strange text messages, he said.
Police spent the day looking for Ho and notified other agencies to watch for him and his car.
Law enforcement officials in Kettering found Ho’s vehicle there around 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Blood was found in the vehicle, according to the Troy police report.
McKinney said Higgins’ interview “led to key pieces of evidence being recovered.”
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