CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Bones believed to be human were found over the weekend inside a Chillicothe park.
The Guardian has learned that law enforcement from Chillicothe Police Department and Ross County Sheriff’s Office responded to an area on Back Road, near the Chillicothe Annex-Park, located behind Chillicothe High School on Saturday. They were sent there after a person called police saying they had found, what they believed to be human remains.
The Ross County Coroner and a cadaver dog were sent to the area to assist in the investigation, reports show. The dog was used to search the area for any remaining bones that may have been looked over by police who responded to the area. The number of bones found, their condition, and how long law enforcement thought they might have been there are questions that remain unanswered as the case remains under investigation. The Guardian requested comment from law enforcement, but so far, a statement has not been issued.
According to the coroner’s office, multiple bones were found, but only some may be human.
“I can confirm that there were bones found, not all of which were human,” said Mike Ratliff, chief investigator with the Ross County Coroner’s Office. “That area had flooded multiple times of recent so the origin of the bones could not be determined. All I can release at this time is that we are doing DNA and that the case is under investigation.”
Ratliff clarified that at least one bone appeared to be human and that is the bone undergoing the DNA testing.
Because of the proximity of the findings to a school, the Guardian reached out to Chillicothe City School’s administration for comment. Superintendent Debbie Swinehart said she had not heard of the investigation but would look into it.
The grim discovery comes while the community is on edge after police recently located the remains of a local missing man — Larry Davis, Jr. — in a tote on the east side of the city. Charges have yet to be filed in that case and it is not known if the two cases are related. The finding also comes recently after the city held a community event in the area and only three days before a large-scale “National Night Out” is planned in Yoctangee Park.
No further details have been released.