DELHI TOWNSHIP, Ohio – The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office is attempting to identify two individuals discovered in various locations throughout the Greater Cincinnati area.
A body was discovered Tuesday by people looking for deer antlers in a wooded area near the Sacred Heart Field in Mt. Storm, Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Kode Sammarco announced on Wednesday.
Dr. Sammarco claims the body belongs to a man who was discovered “pretty quickly after his death.” However, facial recognition and fingerprint scanning were unsuccessful.
The coroner described him as a white man in his thirties. He stood six feet tall and weighed approximately 230 pounds, with long brown hair, brown eyes, and a beard. He was dressed in black glasses, pants, and jacket, and carried a black backpack.
“We do have a cause of death right now, but all we’re going to say is we do not suspect foul play, so – it’s just, you know, we’re not looking to criminally charge anybody, we just need to identify this young man,” she told me.
On Saturday, people looking for deer antlers discovered skeletal human remains in a wooded area in the 6800 block of Hillside Avenue in Delhi Township.
“I know there’s been a lot of speculation about two or three or multiple bodies, but it’s one body, and we did have an anthropologist come out to help us in trying to identify him…” Dr. Sammarco explained.
The remains are thought to be those of a Black middle-aged man who stood around six feet tall.
The coroner stated that the man appeared to have been in the woods since the fall.
Because the body had decomposed by the time it was discovered, the coroner listed some of the clothing and sizes the man was wearing when he was found.
- An extra-large shirt
- A Port Authority fleece jacket
- Levi jeans: 38 waist, 32 length
- Airwalk shoes: size 13
Investigations Lt. Joe Macaluso explained. “At first, I thought this was someone who bought their clothes at Goodwill, but then I realized it was a homeless person.
There was no site, no campsites, we had drones in the area, and we walked Hillside [Avenue] quite a bit, but we found nothing to indicate that anyone was living there.”
The coroner stated that there is no evidence of blunt force trauma or bullet wounds on the remains, ruling out foul play. However, the investigation is still in its early stages.
“The main thing I always like to portray is that no foul play is suspected…there is no reason for people to be concerned about their security,” Delhi Township Police Chief Jeff Braun said.
“Do not be concerned that there is something nefarious going on in the area,” Dr. Sammarco added. “We don’t believe that.”
Cincinnati Search and Rescue will return this weekend to see if they can locate the remaining bones.
Anyone with information on the two people is encouraged to contact the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office at 513-946-8700.
