Wednesday, June 30, 1999
Teen found dead in Sharonville called too friendly to be hated
BY TOM McCANN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Saddened and confused by the death of 18-year-old Raymond Wells, neighbors and friends remember a quiet boy with an inventive humor who got too close to a bad crowd.
Late Sunday night Mr. Wells left his Roselawn home to fetch his mother's pager, which was left at his aunt's house. It was only a short walk away, but it was the last time his mother, Hazel Harris, saw him. Police found Mr. Wells dead a few hours later in north suburban Sharonville, his body dragged 70 feet by a car along the road. The only thing one neighbor heard was a loud muffler as a car sped away.
Mr. Wells' next-door neighbor Annie Brogden remembers a car with a booming muffler last week as it stopped across the street from her house and waited for Mr. Wells to hop in the back seat. The car contained two or three friends, she said, but she could not remember the car's color or model.
With wrong crowd
“He was a nice quiet boy, but his mother was so worried he was starting to fall in with the wrong crowd,” Ms. Brogden said. “She called his father Saturday to have a talk with him, tell him to stay away from them, but when he came it was too late.”
No one is sure why Mr. Wells ended up in Sharonville, but Ms. Brogden and residents on the street where he was found suspect that two cars were there that morning.
Kenneth Wilson and a fellow neighbor on Sharonwoods Court examined the tire marks on the street. He saw two sets of marks that he swears weren't there the night before.
“It was just odd to see tire marks on our street. There were two distinct sets of tracks, one more pronounced than the other,” Mr. Wilson said. “And it looks like they were going fast.”
Sharonville detectives were canvassing the Roselawn neighborhood Tuesday, searching for any friends of Mr. Wells who could lead them to those responsible for his death. Six officers are on the case, but so far they have not found much, Detective Brian Phillips said. Police and the Hamilton County coroner said they will not release the specifics of Mr. Wells' death until they conclude their investigation.
Ms. Brogden always saw Mr. Wells mowing the lawn and playing in the back yard with his dog. He was quiet and shy but had no trouble making friends.
“He was the sweetest kid. He was a good child. But his mother talked to him and talked to him about these kids, and he wouldn't listen.”
Working on GED
Two of Mr. Wells' teen-age friends and one of his cousins huddled together on the steps of his home Tuesday afternoon tearfully remembering how they got to know him growing up.
One thing they all remembered was how funny he was and how often he cracked everyone up. Mr. Wells was too warm and friendly to be hated by anyone, they said.
He had just quit his job at a local Wendy's and was taking GED classes. He had only one more year before getting his high school diploma. He didn't know what he wanted to do with his life yet, just make lots of money.
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