Latest news with #LucasCountyCoroner'sOffice
Daily Mirror
08-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Girl, 9, drowns in busy pool full of adults as child found her 'lying on bottom'
Ava Rose McCourt, 9, was praised as a child who "loved life and enjoyed singing, laughing and giving hugs" following her tragic death at a pool she was visiting with her dad's partner A young girl drowned in a busy pool full of adults and children after her dad's partner looked away for "a moment", with another child making the horrific discovery of her 'lying on the bottom' of the pool. Ava Rose McCourt, 9, disappeared from sight as she swam in a pool at the Clinton Mobile Home Resort in Tiffin, Ohio, on June 28. Her dad's partner, and soon-to-be wife, Christina Bryant told police the girl could not swim and had been using a pool noodle to float. Ms Bryant told officers she turned away for a brief moment and that when she looked back, Ava was missing. She started to frantically search before another child found her at the "bottom of the pool in the deep end" resulting in a bystander giving her CPR until emergency services arrived, according to a police report. Ava's dad, Jesse McCourt, had been fishing a the trailer park's lake close to the pool at the time of her disappearance. Ava was rushed to Mercy Tiffin Hospital where she was pronounced dead upon arrival at the ER. An autopsy will be carried out by the Lucas County Coroner's Office. Witnesses at the pool said Ava vanished under the water without anyone noticing and had reportedly not splashed or made sounds of distress. One witness claimed it had happened as fast as a person snapping their fingers, MailOnline reported. Little Ava Rose had been taught how to swim in the days leading up to her death, although she was not able to swim by herself. Officers said the investigation into the death was "over." In a post thanking people who had donated to their GoFundMe page, Ms Bryan wrote: "Please respect all parties involved. We will have no and I mean no issues over these kind of things. I don't understand how this is our reality right now. We are broken... My fiancé, myself and Ava's bio mom are gonna have some really hard days." Ava's previous teachers at Krout Elementary School in Tiffin shared their condolences. Lori Harp said: "Ava was such a sweet girl with the biggest heart. She loved giving me hugs at the end of the day and loved telling me stories when I helped with her class in 2nd grade." Melissa Cimo, her second grade teacher, said: "I absolutely loved being Ava's 2nd grade teacher and she brought so much joy to me." Little Ava was buried on July 3 following a funeral at Green Springs, Ohio. Her obituary read: "Ava loved life and enjoyed singing, dancing, laughing and giving hugs. She was a very kind girl and loved to spend time with her family and shopping."
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
Investigators work to identify body found in local river wrapped in bed sheet
ERIE COUNTY, Ohio (WJW)— Authorities are investigating after a kayaker discovered a man's body wrapped in a bed sheet and tied with rope in the Huron River last month. The Erie County Sheriff's Office said the discovery was made on May 16 in a marshy section of the river near State Route 2. The body was in a remote area and discovered by a kayaker. Man found dead in NE Ohio identified 18 months later The victim, believed to be between 20 and his mid-30s, was approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed about 160 pounds, and had dark facial hair, according to the Lucas County Coroner's Office. Officials said the man's remains were wrapped in a fitted bed sheet and tied with marine-style rope. The man had several distinctive tattoos that investigators hope will help identify him. Ground beef sold nationwide possibly contaminated with E. Coli They include the letters 'LV' on his torso, 'VIP' on his lower abdomen, and a design of a smoking revolver and playing cards on his right shoulder. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Erie County Sheriff's Office at (419) 627-7553. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Van Wert court hears motion to vacate no-contest murder plea
May 23—VAN WERT — A Celina man who pleaded no contest to murder two months ago is trying to revoke his plea on the basis of actual innocence. It's the latest delay in the murder case against Ryan Houser, 39, who notified his attorney of his desire to revoke the plea minutes before he was to be sentenced on May 7 in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court. A Van Wert County grand jury found probable cause in November 2023 to charge Houser with aggravated murder, an unclassified felony; murder, an unclassified felony; possessing a weapon under disability, a third-degree felony; and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, for the September 2023 shooting death of Barbara Ganger. Houser appeared before Judge Martin Burchfield for his 13th court hearing on Thursday, at which time defense counsel Kenneth Rexford formally argued a motion for the court to remove a no-contest plea Houser entered in March on the basis of his client's claim of actual innocence. He had previously been scheduled to go on trial in April. Prosecutor Eva Yarger argued the motion was not submitted in a timely manner and that Houser fully understood the charges against him when he pleaded no contest to a single count of murder. The state dismissed three remaining charges against Houser during a hastily scheduled change of plea hearing in March. Rexford learned of his client's desire to revoke the plea 20 minutes before sentencing was to proceed on May 7. Burchfield took the motion under advisement, with a ruling expected June 24. If the court denies Houser's motion, the Celina man faces a minimum sentence of 15 years to life in prison. If the court accepts, Houser could proceed to trial on all four counts in the original indictment. In earlier proceedings, Rexford said he intended to present evidence that Houser was in or near Rockford at the time of Ganger's death as determined by medical experts for the defense. The Lucas County Coroner's Office established Ganger's date and time of death as 10:43 p.m. Sept. 4, 2023, while a medical expert for the defense places the time of death around 8 a.m. the following day. Rexford followed a similar line of questioning Thursday as he cross-examined Van Wert City Police Detective Lt. Robert Black about the autopsy and timeline investigators used to connect Houser to the death. Yarger raised concerns about the defense relying on a medical expert who asserts nothing was done to determine a time of death, yet was able to establish a different time of death than the coroner. Yarger called Black to the witness stand that morning to refute an allegation in the defense motion stipulating Ganger was last seen at 7:49 p.m. the night of her death. Black testified that a neighbor last saw Ganger enter her apartment at 7 p.m. Cell towers registered a 44-second call to Ganger's phone at 6:56 p.m. — the last time cell towers registered activity from the phone, Black said. The neighbor received a final Facebook message from Ganger at 7:49 p.m., which Black suggested may have been sent by someone else. Security cameras captured Houser running from Ganger's apartment minutes later, according to Black. Black said Houser "spontaneously" turned to his mother while he was being questioned about the murder to inform her Ganger had been shot, but detectives had not informed Houser of the cause of death when he made the statement, he said. Asked by Rexford why neighbors couldn't hear screaming, arguing or gunshots, Black said the small-caliber handgun and concrete walls inside the apartment may have concealed the sound. An autopsy determined Ganger died from gunshot wounds to the eye and heart. Investigators found two firearms during a search of Houser's home following Ganger's death but neither weapon was linked to the death. Houser was on probation in an unrelated case at the time and was not legally allowed to be in the possession of a firearm, according to court records. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Police investigating after 2 people found dead in hot tub
Police are investigating the deaths of two victims found in a hot tub. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Fostoria Police posted on social media Sunday night that a man and a woman were found deceased in a hot tub. The hot tub is located inside the residence they were found in, according to the post. TRENDING STORIES: UPDATE: Major hospital network targeted by cyberattack, experiencing system-wide issues Pickup truck crashes into tree in Washington Township Water rescue response called after car goes into pond The victims were taken to the Lucas County Coroner's Office for investigation, according to the post. The cause of death has not yet been determined. 'Several issues may have played a role in this accident,' a spokesperson for the Fostoria Police Department said in the post. We will continue to update this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
