02-23-2011, 06:57 PM
http://starbeacon.com/local/x1348432135/...r-deputies
JEFFERSON — An investigation into the shooting deaths of a local man and woman is “priority number one” of the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department, according to Sheriff William Johnson.
The victims, found seated Sunday afternoon in a vehicle parked at the end of a Harpersfield Township road, were identified as Cord A. Cox, 23, Route 307, Austinburg Township; and Betheny D. Mehall, 25, County Line Road North, Geneva; said Richard Mongell, Ashtabula County coroner’s investigator. Autopsies were scheduled to be conducted today, Mongell said.
Johnson released little information Monday, saying he did not want to jeopardize the investigation. There are no suspects, but deputies spent Sunday night and Monday pursuing a number of leads.
“We’re trying to gather as much information as we can,” he said.
A motive has not been determined, but investigators have ruled out a murder-suicide, Johnson said. Robbery or a carjacking also appears unlikely, he said.
“It looks like a double homicide,” he said.
The vehicle was found on Bishop Road a short distance from Harpersfield Road, Johnson said. Deputies went to the scene in response to a call from a passer-by who reported a motorist in distress, he said. The auto was parked at a point where Bishop Road ended because of mounded snow, Johnson said.
Cox was found behind the steering wheel, while Mehall was in the front passenger seat, Johnson said. He declined to comment on the location and number of the wounds, prior to the release of preliminary autopsy reports.
Mongell also declined to discuss the wounds, saying he did not want to compromise the deputies’ investigation. He did confirm the bodies were found in the vehicle.
Johnson said deputies have an idea what type of weapon was used in the killings but declined to elaborate. Some evidence also was collected at the scene, he said.
The vehicle was found with the engine running and the heater turned on, Johnson said. Some decomposition of the bodies had begun, he said.
Cox was last heard from around 7:45 p.m. Saturday, Johnson said.
The vehicle was found in an area that may be in the range of nearby surveillance cameras, Johnson said. Deputies will be studying footage from the cameras for clues, he said.
“We’re doing a lot of follow-up,” Johnson said.
Charla Rhodes, Cox’s aunt, commenting Monday afternoon, said the family hadn’t been told a possible motive for the shootings. Cox was born and raised in the Austinburg area and was a graduate of Geneva High School, she said. He was a nursing student at Lakeland Community College, Rhodes said.
Rhodes tearfully recalled a young man who was “very family-oriented” and enjoyed snowboarding and riding all-terrain vehicles.
“He had just returned from a (snowboarding) trip with friends,” she said.
Cox and Mehall were dating, Rhodes said. Mehall has a 4-year-old son, Rhodes said.
A person reached at Mehall’s home Monday night said the family would have no comment and asked the public to respect the family’s privacy.
Mehall was a 2003 graduate of the Ashtabula County Joint Vocational School and a nursing student at Bryant and Stratton College, according to a funeral notice.
JEFFERSON — An investigation into the shooting deaths of a local man and woman is “priority number one” of the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department, according to Sheriff William Johnson.
The victims, found seated Sunday afternoon in a vehicle parked at the end of a Harpersfield Township road, were identified as Cord A. Cox, 23, Route 307, Austinburg Township; and Betheny D. Mehall, 25, County Line Road North, Geneva; said Richard Mongell, Ashtabula County coroner’s investigator. Autopsies were scheduled to be conducted today, Mongell said.
Johnson released little information Monday, saying he did not want to jeopardize the investigation. There are no suspects, but deputies spent Sunday night and Monday pursuing a number of leads.
“We’re trying to gather as much information as we can,” he said.
A motive has not been determined, but investigators have ruled out a murder-suicide, Johnson said. Robbery or a carjacking also appears unlikely, he said.
“It looks like a double homicide,” he said.
The vehicle was found on Bishop Road a short distance from Harpersfield Road, Johnson said. Deputies went to the scene in response to a call from a passer-by who reported a motorist in distress, he said. The auto was parked at a point where Bishop Road ended because of mounded snow, Johnson said.
Cox was found behind the steering wheel, while Mehall was in the front passenger seat, Johnson said. He declined to comment on the location and number of the wounds, prior to the release of preliminary autopsy reports.
Mongell also declined to discuss the wounds, saying he did not want to compromise the deputies’ investigation. He did confirm the bodies were found in the vehicle.
Johnson said deputies have an idea what type of weapon was used in the killings but declined to elaborate. Some evidence also was collected at the scene, he said.
The vehicle was found with the engine running and the heater turned on, Johnson said. Some decomposition of the bodies had begun, he said.
Cox was last heard from around 7:45 p.m. Saturday, Johnson said.
The vehicle was found in an area that may be in the range of nearby surveillance cameras, Johnson said. Deputies will be studying footage from the cameras for clues, he said.
“We’re doing a lot of follow-up,” Johnson said.
Charla Rhodes, Cox’s aunt, commenting Monday afternoon, said the family hadn’t been told a possible motive for the shootings. Cox was born and raised in the Austinburg area and was a graduate of Geneva High School, she said. He was a nursing student at Lakeland Community College, Rhodes said.
Rhodes tearfully recalled a young man who was “very family-oriented” and enjoyed snowboarding and riding all-terrain vehicles.
“He had just returned from a (snowboarding) trip with friends,” she said.
Cox and Mehall were dating, Rhodes said. Mehall has a 4-year-old son, Rhodes said.
A person reached at Mehall’s home Monday night said the family would have no comment and asked the public to respect the family’s privacy.
Mehall was a 2003 graduate of the Ashtabula County Joint Vocational School and a nursing student at Bryant and Stratton College, according to a funeral notice.
"Three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear and greed."
- Albert Einstein