Discovery prompts homicide probe

The garbage bags of human remains had been in a ditch for some time.

STAFF REPORT

BAZETTA — Authorities are treating the discovery of human skeletal remains in Bazetta Township as a homicide, said Bazetta Police Chief Charles W. Sayers.

About 6:45 p.m. Saturday, police received an anonymous phone call from someone walking along Geauga-Portage Easterly Road who said they found what was believed to be human remains.

The remains were in a ditch on the south side of the road. Officers responded and found decomposed remains inside black plastic garbage bags. About 1.5 miles of Geauga-Portage Easterly Road was closed until 11 a.m. Sunday while investigators processed the crime scene.

Police canvassed the neighborhood for clues. Neighbors reported seeing the garbage bags in the ditch for some time. It is not uncommon for people to illegally dump garbage in this neighborhood because it is a remote area that is not heavily traveled, police said.

There were no foul odors or any indications to make people believe the bags contained anything other than garbage. Investigators were unable to determine how long the remains were in the ditch.

The remains are in such a state of decomposition that it makes immediate identification as to race and gender difficult, police said.

The only confirmed fact is that the remains are human. The cause of death remains undetermined; however, the remains will be examined by a forensic pathologist and anthropologist.

There have been no recent reports of local missing people that could provide aid in identifying the remains, Sayers said.

The remains were taken to the Trumbull County morgue for a more detailed examination.

There is no apparent connection at this time between this case and the case of remains found near Mosquito Lake in 2006, police said.

The investigation is being conducted by Bazetta police, the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Department and the Trumbull County coroner.