Sheriff's office chases leads in woman's death
CHILLICOTHE -- A woman whose body was found Friday off Trego Creek Road is said to have been shot.
Meanwhile, Ross County Sheriff's Office detectives and the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation were at a home in the 1100 block of Massieville Road -- roughly a mile from where the woman's body was found -- for most of the late Saturday afternoon and evening, where neighbors say a white car was towed from the scene. No arrests appeared to have been made and sheriff's officials were not available for comment.
According to the Ross County Coroner's Office, the unidentified female was shot, but Mike Ratliff, chief investigator for the coroner's office, said he could not specify where or how many times the woman was shot. Despite indicating the woman's identity would likely be released Saturday, the information was not released. Ratliff said he could not release the cause of death at this time.
The woman's body was found around 11 a.m. Friday and reported to the authorities. Lt. Mike Preston, of the Ross County Sheriff's Office, initially confirmed the gender of the body, but could not give an identity or if the female was any of the women reported missing in the area.
The body was found in a patch of weeds along a guardrail next to the former Dairy Bar at 3216 Trego Creek Road. The building has been vacant for some time, according to Sheriff George Lavender.
Investigators await the autopsy report to determine where to go next with the investigation. Preston said the woman's death is being investigated as a homicide.
The discovery of the woman's body came close to the time members of the Chillicothe Coming Together prayer group gathered in Yoctangee Park to pray for the missing women and offer support to their families and friends.
Saturday, a group organized through social media gathered in Strawser Park to march with up Riverside Road and south on Bridge Street to raise awareness for the missing women in the area.
Organizer Cheryl Beverly said the route of the march was planned on the south end of Bridge Street because of the action the area receives during the nighttime hours.
The women reported missing in the past year:
•Charlotte Trego reported missing May 3, 2014 when she was reported missing by her mother. She was added to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System in September and remains missing today. Trego is 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.
•Tameka Lynch reported missing May 20, 2014, by her husband. Her body was found in Paint Creek in western Ross County four days later. The coroner reported she died from a drug overdose, but the investigation as to how her body ended up in the water continues.
•Wanda Lemons reported missing Nov. 3, 2014, by her mother, who said she hadn't heard from her daughter for two months. She was added to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System in February and remains missing today. Lemons is described as a white woman about 5-feet-7-inches tall and weighs 135 pounds with shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes.
•Shasta Himelrick reported missing by family Dec. 26, 2014. Her body was found in the Scioto River on Jan. 2. The coroner later determined Himelrick died as the result of suicide, a ruling the family disputes. The case remains open, according to the Ross County Sheriff's Office.
•Tiffany Sayre, reported missing May 11. She remains missing. Sayre is described as 5-foot-8-inches and 170 points with brown hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing a pink tank top with jean shorts and pink sandals.
Those with information on any of the missing women can call the Chillicothe Police Department at 740-773-1191 or call the Southern Ohio Crime Stoppers anonymously at 740-773-TIPS or 800-222-TIPS, by texting LOWDOWN to CRIMES (274637), or on their website at www.southernohiocrimestoppers.com.