CELINA — The death of a Delphos man found in a Mercer County field appears to be accidental and related to a motorcycle crash.
The man was identified Thursday following an autopsy as John W. Lehmkuhle Jr., 59. A cause of death remains under investigation, but it appears his death was due to injuries he received when he crashed his motorcycle, Celina Police reported.
Lehmkuhle, the owner of the Smokin Chrome Saloon in Delphos and the Dockside Saloon in Celina, was reported missing to Delphos Police and was last seen by a close friend at 2:40 a.m. June 11. He left Delphos to ride to Celina at that time, and police believe he crashed his motorcycle in the early morning hours on June 11, police reported.
Lehmkuhle’s body was found Tuesday in a field along state Route 29 between Staeger and Havemann roads. A person on horseback riding along a wheat field on the north side of the road found Lehmkuhle’s body and a motorcycle in the field, police reported.
Officers responded to the area and determined the man was dead. It appeared the motorcycle was traveling west on state Route 29 and drove off the north side of the road as the highway curved to the left. The motorcycle continued straight into a ditch for several hundred feet before striking a culvert and sending the rider and motorcycle into the wheat field, police reported.
It appeared from evidence at the scene that the man and motorcycle had been there a number of days, police reported.
Police have no witnesses to the crash. If anyone has information that could provide more details as to what happened, they should call Celina Police at 419-586-2345 and speak with Sgt. Kent Taylor.
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