TUSCARAWAS COUNTY, Ohio — An investigation is underway after a dead body was found in Tuscarawas County.
The Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office says that on Saturday morning at around 10:36 a.m., an individual called 911 reporting that they had found a decomposed body while hiking on North Orchard Road near Dover-Zoar Road in Sandy Township. Officials say the body was found over an embankment off the side of the road.
"Deputies and Detectives responded where they located a partially skeletonized body. Decomposition is significant and Detectives believe the person may be a female however they will need assistance from the Coroner’s Office in confirming that," the sheriff's office wrote in a press release.
The body was wearing sweatpants and black shoes, as well as a lighter-colored shirt. Photographs and evidence from the scene were collected and the remains were taken to the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office. Officials say that no immediate signs of trauma were evident.
3News spoke to Sheriff Orvis Campbell on Tuesday, and he says the remains are believed to have been in that spot "more in the weeks to a few months range" rather than multiple years. Since they were found, his office has been receiving calls from families of missing women, and the description of one unnamed woman in Stark County seems to bear some resemblance.
"If it is their loved one, then we should be able to make an identification pretty quickly," Campbell said, adding dental records should confirm whether or not the remains belong to that missing individual in a matter of days. "I think we started speaking to the family almost immediately that day and Sunday and every day since then, so it's just an important thing for us to keep them informed along the way."
Anyone with information is asked to call the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office at (330) 339-2000.
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