Pa. cops believe body is that of missing teen

Staff Report

Sharon, Pa., police and the Pennsylvania State Police Major Crimes Unit out of Butler, Pa., arrested a suspect at about 1 p.m. Thursday in connection with the abduction of a 13-year-old Ashtabula girl Tuesday. And, according to The Ashtabula Star Beacon, police there, acting on a tip, found the body of a young female in a field in Saybrook Township believed to be the girl who was abducted Tuesday.

Sharon Police Chief Gerald Smith said police recognized the suspect’s vehicle from a bulletin distributed by Ashtabula authorities. The suspect was captured after a brief vehicle chase, followed by a short foot chase, Smith said.

The PSP Major Crimes Unit identified the suspect as John R. Bove, 46, of Ashtabula. The kidnap victim was Kara Zdanczewski of Ashtabula, the Star Beacon reported.

Smith said the suspect is in custody and was to be arraigned today.

The Sharon police chief said the Shenango Valley Freeway was closed for some time from Stambaugh to Sharpsville streets, the path on which the suspect fled, while police searched for evidence he may have left behind.