YOUNGSTOWN Slaying probe takes cops to Columbus

Depending on the evidence, either city could claim jurisdiction.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Two homicide detectives were to be in Columbus today to interview Richard Dalton about his missing wife.
Detective Sgts. John Kelty and Gerald Maietta intended to interview Dalton and family members. They also planned to meet with a Columbus detective, said Lt. Robin Lees, police department information officer.
Kelty and Maietta are investigating the case of a woman found dead Sunday morning inside the trunk of a burned-out 1999 Lincoln Continental owned by Dalton, of Stacey Lane, Columbus.
Dalton reported his wife, Suzanne, missing on Saturday, Lees said.
A published number for Dalton rang but there was no answer. A woman at the Columbus Dispatch, where Dalton works as a district manager, said he was scheduled to start at 5 a.m. today.
Identifying the victim
The Mahoning County Coroner's Office will release the victim's name. Because there was no identification found on the body, dental records likely will be needed to identify the charred remains of the woman in the trunk.
The car was set on fire behind 628 Oak St., the former Red Carpet Lounge, just before 8 a.m. Sunday. Flames engulfed the car, valued at roughly $20,000. The arson bureau is investigating.
The location provided easy access to the freeway, police said.
Jurisdiction
If the city claims the homicide, it will be the 33rd of the year. There were 30 homicides at this time last year.
Lees said that if the woman was killed in Columbus and the bulk of the evidence exists there, it could be considered that city's homicide. If, however, the woman died here, possibly from the fire or smoke inhalation, Youngstown could claim jurisdiction, he said.
When it appears that a crime was committed in two or more jurisdictions, such as serial thefts, the defendant can be tried for all the crimes in one jurisdiction, Lees said.
Prosecutors in both localities would confer and determine who has the best evidence, Lees said. He said that if the woman was not killed here, but her body simply disposed of here, Columbus probably would prosecute.
meade@vindy.com