Authorities: Man dead in NE Ohio woods was brutally attacked

DOYLESTOWN, Ohio (AP) — Authorities say a body found in a wooded area in northeast Ohio is that of a man who hadn’t been seen in weeks and appears to have been brutally attacked.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office says a woman walking her dog found the body Sunday in the village of Doylestown, near Akron. The office says the victim is 44-year-old Stark County resident Jeremy Lesh, of Perry Township.

Authorities say his family reported him missing on Saturday after not seeing him since Christmas.

His death is being investigated as a homicide. Investigators didn’t release details but say the case clearly isn’t an overdose or natural death.

The Doylestown woman who found the body tells WEWS-TV that someone apparently tried to hide it by putting leaves and a dead tree over it.