Police investigate after finding body near Hubbard grocery store

January 5, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

HUBBARD

Police are investigating after a body was found Monday afternoon next to a Save-A-Lot store on West Liberty Street.

The deceased is a white male believed to be in his 40s, said Hubbard police Sgt. Chris Moffitt.

Moffitt said police responded to a call about 12:30 p.m. Monday.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Trumbull County Coroner’s Office also responded to the scene.

The grassy area where the body was found was temporarily sectioned off with crime-scene tape Monday afternoon along with a small portion of the Save-A-Lot parking lot.

Officials late Monday were not releasing the name of the deceased, pending notification of family.

Moffitt said it is too soon to determine how long the body had been on the ground near the grocery store, though he noted that the body was covered in snow when police arrived.

Police declined to release details on the condition of the body or what the deceased was wearing, citing an ongoing investigation.

The county coroner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Hubbard Police Chief James Taafe said the incident is being investigated as a homicide, as is typical for an unexpected death in which homicide cannot be ruled out.

If ruled a homicide, it would be the first in the city since Cody Pitts, 26, died of a single gunshot wound in March 2015.

The Pitts case was the first homicide in Hubbard since the 1990s, and the case remains open.

Anyone with information regarding the death of Pitts can call 330-746-2583 or visit justice4cody.com. A reward for information is available through Crime Stoppers.