ASHLAND — Ashland police and other law enforcement officials are working to identify a body found in a wooded area near Ninth Street and Cleveland Avenue on Sunday afternoon.
Ashland police officers and detectives, along with vehicles belonging to the Ashland County Coroner’s Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation were observed on scene by 3:15 p.m.
Ashland police Capt. Craig Kiley said police received a call at about 2 p.m.
A section of Ninth Street between Clark and Cleveland avenues were blocked as officials investigated.
Kiley said the public is safe and there’s no immediate threat.
“This isn’t a situation where somebody is concerned that there’s somebody to watch out for or anything like that,” Kiley said. “The area is safe — it’s just off limits for the moment as we conduct the investigation.”
Kiley said Ohio BCI will lead the investigation. He said the investigation has been a cooperative effort between the agencies involved and the public.
“At this point in time, we don’t have any other information to release,” Kiley said.
Some community members came to see the scene for themselves Sunday afternoon. Nicole Sengstock and Alexia Highman parked their cars outside the police blockade off Clark Avenue.
They saw an update on Ashland County Pictures’ Facebook page and arrived at about 2:30 p.m. to watch the unfolding scene.
Bystanders said they hoped the body would be identified so that a family could have closure. Highman said she hoped the investigation didn’t result in a new missing persons case.
Below are photos from the scene. This a developing story. Check back for updates.
This independent, local reporting provided by our Report for America Corps members is brought to you in part by the generous support of the Ashland County Community Foundation.