Man faces murder charges after woman's body found

CHILLICOTHE — A man has been charged with murder after a woman's body was found hanging from a fence Tuesday morning near North Brownell Street.

Donnie Cochenour Jr., 27, with a last known address in Chillicothe, was arrested at about 6:15 p.m. Tuesday and is being held without bond in the Ross County Jail on one count of murder, according to a press release from the Chillicothe Police Department.

Cochenour will reportedly make an initial appearance in Chillicothe Municipal Court Wednesday at 9 a.m.

Police Chief Keith Washburn said it was a citizen tip and a joint effort between the police, Ross County Sheriff's Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol that led to Cochenour's arrest. Washburn urged the community to continue to to provide tips to local law enforcement.

On Tuesday morning, someone walking a dog discovered lost items on nearby Rose Street. Soon, what appeared to be a prank turned into a crime scene.

Public Information Officer Bud Lytle said the discovery of a state ID card and a shoe led police to the place where a woman’s body was found at about 8:30 a.m., near an AEP substation fence line at the corner of Hardin Drive and North Brownell Street.

After “obvious injuries” were found on the body, police and prosecutors said they were treating the case as a homicide.

Tammy Dixon saw what looked like a figure draped on a fence near her North Brownell Street home, but didn’t think much of it, given the Halloween season.

Dixon said she was taking her daughter to school at about 8:20 a.m. Tuesday when she noticed what looked like a dummy hanging from the fence, but thought it was a Halloween prank.

At a press conference about the investigation Tuesday afternoon, Washburn said a state ID was found in a lot near the flood wall, along with a shoe and "various other items." The ID did belong to a woman, although officials are not releasing the identity at this time.

Attention to the discovery was heightened by an ongoing investigation into the deaths of four women and disappearances of two others that has drawn national media attention to Ross County. According to Chillicothe Police, Tuesday's discovery is not linked to those cases or any open investigation being conducted by the department, but Ross County Prosecutor Matthew Schmidt said nothing is being ruled out.

Washburn said the woman's body was found about 200 yards away from the items, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. The body was reportedly found hanging by a shirt sleeve from the fence, as if the victim had been trying to climb it.

Dixon also said the body was on the outside of the fence and was dangling above the ground, like she was "trying to climb up" or "go over the fence."  Officials said rumors about the body being disfigured or mutilated were false, but they did not elaborate on the nature of the injuries.

According to Washburn, two workers removed the body from the fence before police arrived. Police said they did not immediately know how long the body had been on the fence before it was discovered.

Police said they had no suspects in the death.

Crime scene tape stretched from Brownell Street to where the new AEP fence line ends near the railroad tracks west of Rose Street. The state crime lab assisted local investigators at the scene.

During the press conference, Washburn said enforcement by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the sheriff and city police had just been stepped up in the area of Tuesday’s discovery about a week and a half ago.

"A lot of the problems with prostitution and drugs had moved further east, so we moved our patrols further east. We will re-examine our tactics and put more officers in that area," Washburn said.

You may watch a replay of Tuesday's press conference below.