UPDATE: Suspect arrested in Warrick County death investigation
An arrest has been made in the death investigation of Manuel E. Heaton, 27, of Evansville. Indiana Conservation Officers and the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office report that Johnathon Buza, 40, of Evansville, has been charged with murder, felony murder, robbery resulting in serious bodily injury and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. Buza is being held at the Warrick County Jail.
This is an active investigation, and the public is urged to report any information they may have to Indiana DNR Law Enforcement Central Dispatch at 812-837-9536 or the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office at 812-897-6180.
Release as of April 25, 2023
Indiana Conservation Officers have released the identity of the body found in Bluegrass Fish and Wildlife Area in northwest Warrick County on Saturday morning as Manuel Eduardo Heaton, 27, of Evansville. This death is being investigated as a homicide. A joint investigation is being conducted by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division and detectives from the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office. Indiana State Police, Warrick County Prosecutor’s Office, Boonville Fire Department, and the Warrick County Coroner’s Office are assisting in this investigation. Heaton’s remains were found by a passerby at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Saturday in the area of St. Johns Road and Kansas Road, near the Scaup Pit.
Release as of April 22, 2023,
Indiana Conservation Officers are conducting a death investigation after a body was discovered this morning at the Bluegrass Fish and Wildlife Area in northwest Warrick County. At approximately 7:30 a.m., a passerby located the body and immediately contacted authorities. The Warrick County Coroner’s Office has taken possession of the body and an autopsy will be scheduled. The victim’s identity is being withheld pending family notification.
Attorney General Todd Rokita warns Hoosiers of scammers targeting taxpayers
Attorney General Todd Rokita is warning Hoosiers of post-tax season scams, which occur far too often in communities across Indiana. Tax-identity thieves use other people’s Social Security Numbers to file taxes and/or even obtain jobs. Most victims will likely not even be aware this has happened. Some will be notified upon e-filing that a tax return has already been filed using their SSN.
Review the warning signs released from the IRS on possible tax-related identity theft related to tax scams:
- More than one tax return was filed for you.
- You owe additional taxes, have a refund offset, or have had collection actions taken against you for a year you did not file a tax return.
- IRS records indicate you received wages or other income from an employer for whom you did not work.
If you believe you have been the victim of tax-related or any other type of identity theft, you can file a complaint online by visiting indianaconsumer.com or by calling 1-800-382-5516.
Real estate report: ‘Generational housing bubble is on the horizon’
While demand from millennials in Indiana and elsewhere has put pressure on housing markets in recent years, don’t expect that trend to continue, according to a new report from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. In their article, “Prepare for a Generational Housing Bubble,” Phil Powell, clinical associate professor of business economics, and Matt Kinghorn, senior demographer at the Indiana Business Research Center, said residential real estate demand is driven in part by population.
Recently elevated demand for homes in central Indiana is real and persistent. In Marion County from 2019 to 2021, a 2.0% annual rate of new household formation more than doubled the 0.8% average rate witnessed from 2013 to 2019 — despite a population decline in Marion County since the beginning of the pandemic.
A rate of new household formation that is greater than the rate of total population growth, though, cannot be demographically sustained, they said. While the rate of new household formation will eventually fall, the volume of houses put back on the market by seniors will steadily increase. For example, the share of central Indiana homeowners age 55 or higher in 2021 was nearly 50%, up from 36% just 20 earlier. Without a sudden spike in population inflow, residential real estate in Indianapolis must prepare for an eventual peak in demand within the next decade.
The reversal in demand is projected to intensify by the middle of the next decade, when the annual number of homes that seniors add back to the market is expected to be 40% higher, according to an earlier study. This could be offset if policies are implemented that increase the share of seniors who age at home instead of a nursing facility.
Other articles in the new publication include a report on the increasing shortage of affordable apartments and other multi-family housing in the U.S. by Sara Coers, associate director of the IU Center for Real Estate Studies, and an outlook for commercial real estate by Jeffrey D. Fisher, founding director of the Center for Real Estate Studies and the Charles Dunn Professor of Finance and Real Estate.
This Week in Hoosier History
1927 Charles Adkins, American light welterweight boxer was born in Gary, on April 27th. Adkins was the Olympic Gold Medalist at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, in the Light Welterweight (140 lb/63.5 kg) class. In the final he defeated Viktor Mednov of the Soviet Union on a 2-1 decision. The bout was notable as being the first ever boxing match between the United States and the Soviet Union. At the time of the Olympics, Adkins, was a 20-year-old police administration student. Adkins also won the National AAU Lightweight championship in 1949. Adkins attended San Jose State University, which had a dominant collegiate boxing program.
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