Sheriff: Huron body IDed

Update HURON TWP. — A formerly unidentified body pulled from a Huron Township marsh has been identified. George A. Cox, Jr., 32, disappeared from Cleveland last year, according to an Erie County Sheriff's Office press release. Information from the autopsy, research of missing persons files and DNA tests positively identified Cox. Cox was reported missing to Cleveland police on Nov. 8. "Based upon the missing person report to that agency, CPD is now the lead agency in this investigation," the release states. A missing person flyer from the Cleveland Police Department says his family last saw him on Oct. 18. He was last seen in the area of Bosworth and Peony avenues. That intersection is on the city's westside between Lakewood to the north and Brooklyn to the south. The Bosworth Tavern is located at that intersection, though police did not say if that was where Cox was last seen. Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call the Cleveland police missing persons liaison Det. Kevin Callahan at 216-623-7697 Background On May 16, first responders were called to a marshy area on the western side of the Huron River in Huron Township for a report of a body found in the water. Kayakers in the area discovered the body and called 911. Deputies arrived to find the person was clearly deceased. The body was in an advanced state of decomposition, according to Erie County coroner Dr. Brian Baxter. The body was located about 1,000 feet south of the Ohio 2 Huron River bridge in an area near the Thunderbird Hills south golf course. Baxter ordered the body to be shipped to Lucas County for the autopsy. He later disclosed that the body was found wrapped in a fitted bed sheet and that the hands and ankles were bound. An article of clothing was found wrapped around the body's thigh. Neither the amount of time the body was in the water nor the cause of death was revealed by the autopsy. The body was described as belonging to a Black male, approximately 5 feet, six inches tall and weighing approximately 160 pounds. The age was estimated to be between 20 and mid-30s. Early rumors that the body was decapitated were dispelled by the coroner. The body had tattoos but no jewelry, according to Baxter. Tattoos About three weeks later, on June 5, authorities released an information sheet detailing the body's tattoos. The reason for the sheet was a hope that someone would be able to identify the body by the tattoos. One of an intertwined L and V, which is similar to the Louis Vuitton logo, was digitally reproduced. Others were digitally enhanced. They included: • "V.I.P." on the lower abdomen • A star with "8 St." on the right forearm. • A smoking revolver and playing cards on the right shoulder. Original post HURON TWP. — Authorities on Wednesday provided a major update in relation to the human remains uncovered in the Huron River from nearly two months ago. With information provided by the Erie County Sheriff's Office, here's what's known about this developing news story: Q: What happened? A: On May 16, a kayaker found and reported the discovery of a body in the water, which was located about 1,000 feet south of the Ohio 2 bridge on the west side of the river in Huron Township, Erie County Sheriff Paul Sigsworth previously told the Register. "The remains are badly decomposed," Sigsworth said at the time, adding that first responders were unable to initially identify the person. "It appears the body may have been in the river for some time." An autopsy was conducted by the Lucas County coroner's office in the days afterward at the request of Erie County coroner Brian Baxter. Baxter relayed the findings to the newspaper. Baxter confirmed that investigators found the remains, believed to belong to an adult man, wrapped in a fitted sheet. Additionally, Baxter confirmed the man's hands were tied together in the front, and his ankles were also bound. Sigsworth previously said that, based on how the body was found, his agency suspects foul play in the victim's death. Q: Who's the victim? A: That question wasn't known until Wednesday when the sheriff's office provided this update: "Based upon information obtained from the autopsy, from additional research of missing persons information files and confirmed recently through DNA profile comparison, the body has been identified as that of George A. Cox, Jr., 32. Mr. Cox, Jr. was reported missing to the Cleveland, Ohio, Police Department. on Nov. 8, 2024." Q: Where does the case stand now? A: The sheriff's office also provided an update on this information as well. "Based upon the missing person report to that agency, (the) Cleveland Police Department is now the lead agency in this investigation. Please contact (the department's) missing persons liaison Det. Kevin Callahan with any information or inquiries. He may be reached at 216-623- 7697."