By Robert Anglen
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Three homicides in less than 33 hours have Cincinnati homicide investigators facing what could be the most deadly year in city history.

Even before the spate of murders began Wednesday, the unit saw its ranks boosted this month by 44 percent with the addition of six investigators and a sergeant.

The latest victim, Brandon Butler, 18, of Cumminsville, was shot multiple times Thursday night outside of his Nottingham Road residence. He was the city's 24th homicide of the year. That compares to 18 homicides a year ago at this time.

Thursday morning, the body of a 25-year-old man was found on an Avondale street, and a 1-year-old child from Price Hill died. Police said he had been shaken.

"I have only been here a couple of weeks and three of the cases are mine," Sgt. Robert Liston said Friday. "They used to average one a week. If we keep the same trend, (the city) could be up to 80-90 by the end of the year."

Last year, there were 64 homicides.

Many of last year's homicides were drug-related, according to police, making the cases difficult to solve because of reluctant witnesses and multiple suspects. But police say there is no such pattern in the three latest homicides.

Police said Butler had returned to his South Cumminsville home with his girlfriend Thursday about 11 p.m. to find a man waiting outside. Butler apparently knew the man and told his girlfriend to go inside. A short time later she heard shots. Police say Butler died just before 3:30 a.m. Friday at University Hospital.

Butler, who recently turned 18, had an extensive juvenile record, but nothing as an adult, Liston said.

Witnesses described the shooter as 20-22-years old, black, about 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds. He has thick eyebrows, a faint mustache and wore a waist-length bubble coat with fur around the collar and black jeans.

Just before 5 a.m. Thursday, Mait Molter of Cincinnati and originally from Estonia, was found dead at the end of Blair Court in Avondale.

On Wednesday afternoon, 1-year-old Esbin Ramirez Reynoso died at Children's Hospital Medical Center, where he had been since April 3.

Police initially charged a caregiver, Oscar Rodriguez, 22, of Price Hill with felony child endangering. They since learned his real name is Aureliano Ramirez.

Ramirez remained in jail.

Anyone with information on any of these cases is asked to call investigators at 352-3542 or Crime Stoppers at 352-3040.

E-mail ranglen@enquirer.com