Neighbors speak out about human remains found next door

Several neighbors of John Lue II, the man arrested Friday on suspicion of abandoning a corpse, said Monday they couldn’t believe a body was found so close to their homes on Limit Street.

The body was found after Vandalia police got a call that a woman, Jennifer Middleton, was missing Wednesday. Police got a tip Friday that Middleton might be at a house in the 800 block of west Limit Street. Police found human remains buried inside house. They also found Lue there.

Police are awaiting autopsy results to find out whether the remains belong to Middleton and if foul play was involved in the death.

Neighbors said Middleton did stay at the house, which had no electricity, windows or floors.

One neighbor, who lives across the street from Lue’s property, said he doesn’t live at the house, but would stay there every few weeks. She said whenever Lue did stay there, he would go over to her house to help fix things or say hello.

Neighbors said Lue would drive his lawnmower around and wave whenever he saw someone.

One block over, on Pershing Street, another neighbor said Middleton roamed around from place to place to sleep. She said Middleton didn’t have a car so she walked everywhere.

She also said Middleton would come and go without telling anyone where she was going.