Friday, September 03, 1999
Clermont slaying a mystery
Killer didn't attempt to conceal body
BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
TATE TOWNSHIP — Investigators know this much about whoever dumped a dead woman's body along a creek near East Fork Lake State Park: He or she wasn't concerned how quickly the corpse was found.
The body — thought to be a white woman, 30-35 years old, 5-foot-21/2 to 5-foot-51/2, with slightly wavy shoulder-length dark brown hair — was only partially concealed in a plastic bag along Ulrey Creek, visible from Rolling Acres Drive.
The Clermont County sheriff's office said the woman could have been dead for one week to a few months when found by a fisherman and his son Wednesday night. Temperatures in the area the past few weeks have made the time of death difficult to estimate.
Sheriff A.J. “Tim” Rodenberg said Thursday an interstate search of missing persons yielded no immediate clues.
The woman likely was killed elsewhere and dumped there, possibly within the last few weeks, said Darrell Hawkins, a Clermont assistant prosecutor and a coroner's investigator.
“There was little or no effort to conceal,” Mr. Hawkins said. “They didn't care much if the body was found.”
Ulrey Creek isn't in a remote area. People frequently fish there, and Thursday, discarded items near the crime scene included beverage cans and a child's purple bicycle.
Investigators said there is no indication the severely decomposed body could be that of Carrie Culberson, 22, the Blanchester, Ohio, woman missing for three years whose body never has been found.
Her boyfriend, Vincent Doan, is serving a life sentence for her murder.
The woman found in Cler mont wore a necklace, set of earrings and a barbell pin in her tongue. An oval piercing ring was found, but it is unknown where it was worn.
The victim was clothed only in a purple, sleeveless pullover sweater that carried the Victoria Secret label from the Moda International collection. The woman had a previously broken elbow, had several dental fillings and had two wisdom teeth removed some time ago.
An autopsy was performed Thursday at the Hamilton County coroner's office, but because of the condition of the body, more extensive tests will be done.
Police might have lost some time because neighbors who detected a foul smell for about a week presumed it was a dead animal.
“It smelled rotten. It was sickening for the last week,” said Selena Wilson, 33, whose home across the street is obscured by trees. “I just can't believe someone would come through here and dump a body.”
Police are equally perplexed. Since Rolling Acres is not a heavily traveled through-street, Sheriff Rodenberg said the assailant “seems to be someone who lives here or knew the area, but that's speculation.”
Earlier Thursday, Clermont pursued the report of a missing Kentucky woman, but ruled it out when they learned the Kentucky woman wore dentures. The teeth of the dead woman appear intact, which makes local authorities hopeful a positive identification can be made.
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