UPDATE - Police now know ID of dead man

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

City police know the identity of a man found dead Thursday evening in a wooded area on Tippecanoe Avenue and were working Friday night to notify his family.

Capt. Brad Blackburn, who leads the detective division, said the body was decomposed beyond recognition.

While neither the coroner nor police have designated the man’s death a homicide, Blackburn said the department will treat it as such.

“When we get something like this, we always treat it as a homicide,” Blackburn said.

It did appear that someone attempted to conceal the body by covering it with debris, he added.

Police were notified about 4 p.m. when witnesses walked by and smelled something. They took a closer look and saw part of a body, Blackburn said.

Detectives had no indication that the body was moved but could not be certain.

Police sent out an image of the dead man’s shoes Friday, size 12 Reeboks, as part of their effort to identify him. His name has not yet been released.

The Mahoning County Coroner’s Office determined it was a man’s body but could not determine his race or approximate age. The body was sent to the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office for further examination.

If ruled a homicide, the death would be the city’s 17th of the year. Last year, the city saw 18 homicides.