Police say concerns raised by the landlord’s son and another caller quickly turned a missing-person check into a homicide investigation.

COLUMBUS, Ind. — What began as a welfare check at a Columbus duplex ended with police finding an 89-year-old landlord dead inside his tenant’s home and, days later, prosecutors filing a murder charge against the tenant, according to police, court documents and local reports.

Rudy Minton, 49, is charged with murder in the death of Jerrell “Jerry” McCullough, who owned the property in the 1400 block of Pearl Street where Minton lived. Columbus police initially arrested Minton on a preliminary murder charge after officers found McCullough dead on July 21. The Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office later filed a formal murder charge. The allegations have not been proved in court, and the public record reviewed for this report does not establish a final account of how or exactly when McCullough died.

The investigation was set in motion not by a report of an assault but by people worried that McCullough could not be reached. Police said officers were dispatched at about 8:36 p.m. to check on him. Court records described in local reports say McCullough’s adult son had found his father’s vehicle outside the duplex, unlocked, which struck him as unusual. The son had also been unable to locate his father. When he approached the residence, Minton allegedly would not allow him to go inside to look for McCullough, according to reports citing the probable cause affidavit.

A second caller added to the concern before police arrived. According to the affidavit as reported by WRTV and WDRB, a woman contacted dispatch and said she believed her friend may have done something to the landlord and wanted officers to check on McCullough. Those two calls gave responding officers a sharply different situation from a routine unanswered-phone welfare check: one relative could not find the property owner, and another person was expressing concern about the tenant’s possible involvement.

When officers contacted Minton, investigators say his first statements focused on his own condition. He allegedly told officers that he had swallowed bleach. Police then asked about McCullough, and Minton allegedly told them the landlord was inside the residence in a trash container. Officers detained Minton and entered the home. Columbus police said they located a dead person inside and secured the scene while detectives and crime-scene investigators were called to the duplex.

The Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office identified the man as McCullough. In its first public statement, the Columbus Police Department said investigators observed apparent signs of blunt-force trauma but had not yet publicly established the cause and manner of death. Court-document accounts later provided more detail, alleging that officers found blood inside the residence and that McCullough had substantial injuries to his head and face. Those descriptions are allegations drawn from the investigation and charging record, not findings made after a criminal trial.

Investigators also documented evidence they said connected Minton to McCullough and the property. Local reports citing the probable cause affidavit say officers recovered items belonging to McCullough from inside the residence, including personal property associated with his vehicle and wallet. Police also said Minton possessed McCullough’s vehicle key fob. Detectives reported seeing what appeared to be blood on Minton’s glasses, along with scratches, bruises and other marks that investigators described as consistent with a struggle. The meaning and weight of that evidence would ultimately be matters for the court.

Police said Minton made several statements during the hours after officers reached the duplex. According to the affidavit, while he was detained at the scene he allegedly said, “I just thought I could pull it off, I’m sorry.” During a later hospital examination, investigators tested his hands for gunshot residue, and Minton allegedly remarked that there had been no gun involved. Authorities have not treated those statements as a substitute for physical evidence, and the publicly available sources reviewed for this report do not provide a complete recorded interview explaining Minton’s account of events.

Investigators also learned of a Facebook post attributed to Minton around the time police were responding to the property. The post said, “Look everybody I’m sorry you’ll find out soon enough,” according to the probable cause affidavit as reported by several outlets. Police further alleged that, during transportation after his detention, Minton made comments about people doing “despicable things” and asked an officer to pray for him. Those remarks form part of the state’s reported investigative narrative, but they do not by themselves establish each element prosecutors must prove for a murder conviction.

The relationship between Minton and McCullough was not limited to tenant and property owner. McCullough’s son told investigators that his father had been attempting to evict Minton, according to reports based on court records. Local reporting said Minton was behind on rent and that eviction proceedings connected to the property had already been filed. That dispute supplies important context for why McCullough may have gone to the residence, but authorities have not publicly released a complete account establishing that the eviction dispute was the legal motive for the killing alleged by prosecutors.

The case developed in two stages. On July 22, the day after officers found McCullough, Columbus police announced that Minton had been arrested on a preliminary murder charge and was being held without bond at the Bartholomew County Jail. Police said detectives and crime-scene personnel had worked into the early morning processing the duplex and that the investigation remained active. On July 28, local news organizations reported that Bartholomew County prosecutors had filed a formal murder charge against Minton, moving the case from an initial police arrest into the court system.

The charge is pending in Bartholomew Superior Court 1, according to local reporting. The sources reviewed for this article do not establish a later adjudication or final resolution of the case as of Aug. 29. Minton is accused, not convicted, and prosecutors would have to prove the murder charge beyond a reasonable doubt. The investigation began with two people asking police to find McCullough; its next stage will be governed by evidence presented through the criminal court process.

Author note: Last updated Aug. 29, 2026.