Bloody saw found by beheaded DJ as cops say death 'undetermined' (original) (raw)

Bloody saw found near body of beheaded DJ — but cops say death 'undetermined and dog dismembered him'

A bloody saw was reportedly discovered next to the body of a Memphis DJ, who was discovered beheaded in his home in January. The family thinks it was murder, but the police aren't so sure

The family of a DJ who was found beheaded in his Memphis home in January believes the man's death was murder, but the cops aren't so sure

The family of a DJ found beheaded in his home in Memphis, Tennessee, believes he was murdered after a bloody saw blade was found near his body — but the cops are weaving a different tale involving a drug overdose and dismemberment by his dog.

Ricky Buchanan, 59, who goes by the name DJ Slick Rick, was found decapitated in his home by his brother on Jan. 24, his pants pulled down to his ankles and his jacket zipped up over his neck area.

John said he didn't even notice his brother had been beheaded until he went over to his body and unzipped the jacket that had been covering his neck. He then looked up and saw Ricky's head across the room, several feet from the body.

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The family found a bloody saw near where Ricky's body was discovered, which had hair on it as well (

Image:

Family Handout)

He said the neighbors had called him and told him something was wrong after Ricky's dog, a pit bull, was on the front porch of the home for several hours, which the neighbor said was highly unusual. It was a freezing morning, John remembers. He raced over to the home.

When he arrived, he said he found the back door open and off its hinges, and there was no heat on. He recalls the moment he picked up his brother's body after seeing him lying on the floor.

"When I found him, I originally thought that it was so cold he had his jacket up over his head because I picked it up, and it felt like a mannequin. It was so light," John told The U.S. Sun. "I thought, 'What did I find?' This is not a body,' until I flipped it over and I saw his hands, and then I thought, 'I'll unzip his jacket.' And when I unzipped his jacket, I realized that his head was cut off, and then I looked up, and I saw it like eight feet across the room."

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Ricky's mother died a few months after he did, Ricky's brother said, likely from heartbreak (

Image:

Family Handout)

John said his first call was to the Memphis police, then to his daughters, who raced over after hearing the news. But the ensuing investigation yielded several theories, none of which got to the bottom of exactly what happened to Ricky.

The police theorized that Ricky had died of a drug overdose — an autopsy revealed that traces of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine were all found in his system. Then, his dog had ravaged his body, cutting off his head and dragging it across the room.

Ultimately, the police dubbed the death undetermined, based on the findings from the autopsy. "The most likely scenario is an accidental drug overdose resulting in death, followed by postmortem scavenging by the decedent's dog," the report read. Foul play, however, wasn't ruled out.

The report also read, according to The U.S. Sun, "Based on all currently known investigative information, autopsy, examination, forensic, anthropology examinations, toxicology analysis, and circumstance surrounding and leading up to the death, the cause of death are best classified as could not be determined (undetermined). Fould play that involved decapitation by mechanical means or other antemortem injuries could not be excluded."

Ricky performed and DJed at his mother's bar and was a community staple (

Image:

Family Handout)

The police had reportedly found dog feces at the scene, too, which tested positive for bone fragments. Ricky's niece, Ashley Shea, pushed back on that assessment, however, stating that Lucky, the dog, had been with Ricky since he was a puppy. The 14-year-old dog was a trained service animal that never left Ricky's side, Shea told The U.S. Sun, and would never have done anything to cause Ricky's death.

Whether or not Lucky feasted on Ricky after he died is another matter, but Shea is skeptical of the beheading theory. "The force a dog would have to use to detach a head would have had his body dragged all over the place and not in the same spot," she said, adding, "[The police] put him in jail, doggy jail, and we had to go to actual court, and the judge apologized and said he was the 'best dog we ever had.'"

And then there's the matter of the bloody saw. The object was found in the home days later by the police as they cleared the scene, and it reportedly contained blood and hair on it, Shea told The U.S. Sun. It was described as a handmade, 12-inch, straight saw knife that was wrapped with duct tape on the handle, and it was allegedly found about two feet from Ricky's body.

John said he believes his brother was murdered after the suspects — he believes there were multiple — ransacked the home. He said one of them sat on his brother's back and pulled his head back, then cut his head off, citing the blood spray of about two or three feet from where Ricky's body was found.

Ricky was reportedly a well-known musician based out of Memphis' Raleigh neighborhood, where he reportedly entertained guests at his mother's bar. The two were lifelong business partners and friends. John reportedly worked the door at the bar.

After Ricky's death, his mother, Nita Makris, died about three months later, John said, because his death broke her heart. He said his mother "laid down and starved herself to death."

"She was in her bed," Shea added. "Depression had taken over. We had to slowly watch her pass." Now, the family wants justice, and they want the police to be held accountable for the investigation, which they said could have gone better. It's still ongoing.