Series of missing women stirs fear in Chillicothe

Nestled in the hills of Ohio's Scioto Valley, Chillicothe is a rural town of about 22,000 residents unaccustomed to the widespread fear that has steadily grown as women have disappeared over the past year.

There are six unresolved cases causing residents to speculate and fear the worst, that a serial killer is in their midst. Two of the women remain missing and four of them have turned up dead. Two of the dead — Timberly Claytor, 38, and Tiffany Sayre, 26 — were found within three weeks of each other and both have been classified as homicides.

While local law enforcement, who recently tapped the FBI for help before Claytor's body was found, hasn't discounted the possibility of a serial killer, it isn't the only avenue they are pursuing, Ross County Prosecutor Matt Schmidt explained at a June 2 press conference about the discovery of Claytor's body.

"At this point, there's no smoking gun that says, 'Hey, we've got a serial killer on the loose,'" Schmidt said. "We have missing people and we have a homicide. There are certainly people talking in the community and people that are upset and understandably concerned about that. When there are those concerns, we don't rule that out. We have to keep an open mind to the possibilities, but the evidence is going to dictate where we go with the investigation."

Year of fear

The troubling trend of missing women in Chillicothe, located in Ross County about an hour south of Columbus, began a little more than a year ago. Officials have said the women are connected through a common history of drug use, possible prostitution and connections to the same social circle.

A kayaker found the naked body of Tameka Lynch, 30, in Paint Creek, about a 30-minute drive from Chillicothe, on May 24 last year. Four days before investigators found her body, Lynch's husband reported her missing. He told police he had not seen her since May 16.

Although a coroner determined Lynch likely died from a multiple drug overdose, her manner of death was the result of "undetermined circumstances."

After finding Lynch, law enforcement searched along Paint Creek and into the Scioto River for any signs of another missing woman — 29-year-old Charlotte Trego. Her mother reported her missing two days after Lynch was reported missing. Trego hadn't been seen in two weeks, which Yvonne Boggs said was atypical for her daughter.

According to the initial police report, Trego left her home on the east side of Chillicothe on foot after she was evicted by her roommate. No signs of her was found during the search of the creek and river and law enforcement have indicated they've been unable to learn much more.

Next came Wanda Lemons, 38, who was last seen by her mother Oct. 2 and reported missing Dec. 28. A friend of Lemons told Chillicothe police she'd last seen her on Nov. 3 and she'd talked about possibly going with a truck driver to Texas where Lemons has family.

Lemons' mother told police it is not uncommon for her to go for lengthy periods without speaking to her daughter but it was unusual for her not to call or visit during the holidays.

At about the same time Lemons mother went to police, a pregnant 20-year-old, Shasta Himelrick, went missing. Her family last saw her Christmas night and quickly reported her missing. She was captured on film by a Chillicothe gas station surveillance system the morning after Christmas and her car was found abandoned, the doors open and battery drained, about 20 minutes south near the Scioto River.

Her body was found in the river on Jan. 2. Although the coroner ruled Himelrick's death a suicide by drowning, her family and friends have their doubts, saying Himelrick was happy about being pregnant.

"I think if she (Himelrick) did do what they say, I think someone may have forced her to do it," her grandmother, Janice Timmons, told the Chillicothe Gazette in March.

Himelrick's disappearance heightened awareness among Chillicothe residents of the missing, but theories that a serial killer is in their midst picked up steam when Tiffany Sayre went missing on May 11.

Sayre had been at the Chillicothe Inn with two men that night and told a friend she was going to stop by again before going home. As the community came together in the city's park for a vigil for Sayre and the other women on May 29, a woman found a body in some weeds a few hundred yards from U.S. 23 — a highway known as a primary route for drug trafficking — about six miles south of Chillicothe.

The body was Timberly Claytor — a woman who had not yet been reported missing. She had been shot three times in the head and law enforcement quickly closed in on a local suspect, 36-year-old Jason A. McCrary, who was convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor over a decade ago. He has not been charged with Claytor's murder, but remains in the Ross County Jail on a charge he failed to register his address.

Investigators are waiting for results of DNA collected in a vehicle seized during a search warrant of McCrary's home before filing charges.

On Saturday, just three weeks after Claytor was found shot, a couple of hikers found Sayre's body in a culvert on June 20 not far from where Lynch was found just more than a year ago. While results of an autopsy are pending, officials have confirmed her body had been wrapped in a white cloth and duct tape was found nearby. They are investigating her death as a homicide.

Ramping up the investigation

After Claytor's body was found, Chillicothe Police Chief Keith Washburn asked the FBI for help and a task force, which includes the Ross County Sheriff's Office, was created.

The task force is working in an undisclosed location with members from local, state and federal agencies, and have created a dedicated tip line and email. Sayre's aunt, Shelly Hehr, this week encouraged people with information to report it.

"Somebody did this. Somebody is responsible, and somebody knows who is responsible. I know, if you are scared, you might not want to come forward, but you should be scared if you don't come forward because, if somebody doesn't come forward and help stop this, you don't know who could be next," Hehr said.

In a recent interview with the Chillicothe Gazette, Washburn said detectives assigned to the cases drop whatever they are doing when tips are given for any of the missing women to follow up. The problem is, many of the tips turn out to be false.

"We've checked land, air and water for any signs of (the women)," Washburn said. "But the problem is, you're trying to find a needle in a haystack, unless you have the information. The information we have is running dry on some of these cases."

Investigators have been throughout southern Ohio and Kentucky trying to get information on Sayre, in addition to interviewing subjects and administering polygraph tests. On May 23, police also did something it rarely does when it arrested three alleged prostitutes in hopes of getting information about the missing women.

Washburn said prostitution in the Chillicothe area appears to be driven by a need for quick money to purchase drugs.

"One of the things that people have said is we treat these people differently because of their lifestyle," Washburn said. "That is totally untrue. These ladies are someone's daughter, someone's mother, sister, aunt. These are human beings. We are going to give it 110 percent to try to find them."

As investigators continue pounding the pavement, residents in Chillicothe also have been coming together in various ways, online and in the community. There have been marches, vigils, and a Facebook page was created to spread the missing women's information across social media. A GoFundMe has been created to help Sayre's family pay for her burial.

And two weeks ago, sisters-in-law Samantha and Mary Green began a weekly community protest — No Dope, Just Hope.

"I'll be out here every Saturday, even if I'm 70," Samantha Green told the Chillicothe Gazette. "We need to protest. There's no future for our children if it keeps going this way."

Still missing and sought

Charlotte Trego

Described as a 5-foot-4-inch white woman who weighs 160 pounds and has dark hair and blue eyes. Trego has a tattoo of "JAMES" on her chest and a Playboy bunny on her upper arm.

Wanda Lemons

Described as a white woman, 38 years old, about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds with shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes. Lemons has a tattoo of dolphins making a heart on her lower back and a few other unknown tattoos. She has been known to frequent the Galveston, Texas, area.

GOT A TIP?

Those with information on any of the missing women can call Southern Ohio Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-222-TIPS, by texting LOWDOWN to CRIMES (274637), or online at www.southernohiocrimestoppers.com.

A tip line for the missing women task force can be reached at 740-773-FIND (3463) or via email at findme@rosssheriff.com.