Woman wants Toledo building torn down after her friend’s body was found inside

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - James Baker’s ashes sit on Jackie Dickens’ chest atop the shirt she had made in his memory.

“On the weariest, dreariest days, he would find a way to make you smile,” Dickens said.

The same picture that’s on the shirt is posted outside a building on Toledo’s east side. Baker was found on the second floor of the abandoned building on Sixth Street in September.

“All we have now is ashes and a beat up, dirty building to look at,” Dickens said.

Dickens said the property just off Main Street is notorious for attracting criminal activity, specifically drugs. It’s in a neighborhood and near a school.

She’s worried someone will get hurt.

13 Action News observed a broken front porch, a shattered window and written messages suggesting what’s on the inside. That includes one message that echoes Jackie’s request: “Tear Me Down. No More Dead Bodies.”

“Somebody deserves to pay,” Dickens said. “Get rid of this house so it doesn’t happen to anybody else.”

The City of Toledo is aware of this property. A spokesperson said the city has received 12 complaints since 2024, including nine structural complaints, a blight complaint, trespassing and a drug concern.

The spokesperson adds the building is a candidate for demolition, which will happen when funding becomes available.

Just this week, the property was deemed unfit for human habitation by the city.

The owner is Veal Corporation. The city said it was cited and taken to court in 2024, but didn’t appear. Now, it faces a bench warrant.

13 Action News looked up county records that show a mailing address for the owner. We knocked on the door, but no one answered. Our phone call wasn’t answered, either.

“I would hate to see another body pulled out of there,” Dickens said.

Dickens knows tearing down the property won’t bring her good friend back, but it would be the first step to getting closure.

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