ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — The 9-1-1 call from a deadly home invasion that turned into an arson has been released by the Ross County Sheriff’s Office.
Chelsea Rae Josephine Cooper, 30, was found dead inside her friend’s house trailer after a burglary on January 17 along route 28. The events leading up to her death were recorded on a terrifying phone call with Sheriff’s dispatchers. In the call, Cooper whispered for help while hiding in the trailer. She told emergency personnel that three men had kicked in the front door and came inside. That’s when, Cooper said she ran and hid.
During the call, Cooper whispered to dispatchers that she knew who the men were and gave their names, which have been redacted from the audio released by the county. She also said that the men had been inside for about 20 minutes before she called 9-1-1.
After being on the phone begging for deputies to respond faster, Cooper went quiet before she begins to scream. She yelled that the house was on fire and then, started screaming for help. In the audio, a lot of commotion is heard and dispatchers told responding deputies that they believed the three men had found the woman hiding and were attacking her. That’s when the phone line went dead. The Guardian was not able to independently verify if, indeed, Cooper had been physically attacked during the invasion.
–WARNING: DISTURBING AUDIO OF 911 CALL–
When deputies arrived they found the trailer engulfed in flames and Cooper no where to be found. It would be several minutes before firefighters would make it inside the home to discover Cooper’s body. A preliminary autopsy revealed “no other injuries other than those as a result of the fire ….,” according to Ross County Coroner Ben Trotter.
The Sheriff said that the case was labeled a homicide and the fire as arson.
” …. shortly before 8:00 p.m. my office received a report of a burglary in progress ….,” said Ross County Sheriff George Lavender.
The state Fire Marshal is handling the investigation, with the help of Trotter and Lavender’s offices. No suspects have been publicly identified.