YOUNGSTOWN Store demolition unearths body

The backhoe scooped as gently as possible to help find the head.
YOUNGSTOWN -- The 96-year-old Fresh Super Market gave up a secret when a demolition backhoe punched into the decrepit building: A body.
The two-story concrete block and brick building at 602 Arlington St., at the northwest corner of Foster Street on the North Side, has been abandoned for many years. The city decided to tear the building down when it began collapsing in on itself.
Around 2 p.m. Thursday, the backhoe operator shut off the machine and called police after seeing that his work had revealed a body. The head, dislodged during the demolition, had already fallen to the ground.
Observations
From the street, observers saw a right hand and arm protruding from the rubble on the second level. The limb appeared as if mummified.
Most of the body, possibly clothed in a coat, was under debris.
Detective Sgts. John Kelty and Ron Rodway were called to the scene, as was Lou Ciavarella, a crime lab officer, and Rick Jamrozik, a coroner's investigator.
Bill Slanina of the city's air quality department was at the demolition site to monitor any harmful emissions. A hose hooked up to a fire hydrant was used to wet the building in an effort to keep down the dust.
At 2:30 p.m., kids in a school bus turning south onto Foster craned their necks to see why so many cruisers, other official-looking vehicles and news cars were clogging Arlington.
As gently as was possible, the backhoe operator scooped debris from the ground under the precariously perched body in an effort to find the head. Each scoop was spread out on the grass for examination.
A skull -- gender unknown -- was found around 2:40 p.m. Jamrozik placed it in a plastic bag.
A red purse with a woman's identification was found in the rubble. The name was not released.
A bulldozer was brought in around 3 p.m. to remove the headless body. After an autopsy, Coroner David M. Kennedy will release the cause of death.
County records show the 1,984-square-foot retail store was built in 1909. A lien sale was recorded in June.