Tweed/Morris Murders

 

Linda Morris & her precious 4 year old daughter Angela walked into Tweeds furniture store in East Liverpool on July 30, 1973 for what would be the last time.

Unfortunately, they walked in during a robbery and were brutally beaten to death along with the store owner Earl Tweed, 75. 

There is a documentary about this case called 759 Dresden.  If you have any information about this case, please contact the

East Liverpool Police Department at 330-386-1234. 

Ardes Ruth Bauman

Ardes Bauman of Salem whose burned remains were found just off of Egypt Road on October 24, 2010 has been ruled a homicide, with strangulation the cause. She was found by a Perry Township police officer who noticed a small fire and a van in the closed off area known as Cry Baby Bridge. Sgt. George Mlinarcik came upon the scene, he realized there was a body. A van titled to Bauman was parked nearby, with the remains found outside of the unoccupied vehicle.

The immediate cause of death was listed as asphyxia by cervical compression, with a description of the injury saying she was "strangled causing asphyxia and death." The amount of time between onset of the injury and death was listed as "minutes."
No arrests have been made, but Emigh said "we have people of interest." He wouldn't go into more detail about the people or the evidence.

If you have any information on this case, please contact the Perry Township Police Department at 330-332-1000. 

James Anthony Sr.

 James Anthony Sr. was working at Century Gas Station in East Fairfield in February of 1991. He was beaten during a robbery because he could not open the safe. He remained in a vegetative state for 5 years before passing away on January 27, 1996. If you have any information, please call The Sheriff's Department at (330) 424-7255.

James Brenneman

 James went missing from East Liverpool in January of 1971. His body was later found in the Ohio River down by Stratford on May 5, 1971. Anyone with information is asked to call The Hancock County Sheriff's department at (304) 564-3911. 

Richard "Dick" Hubbard

 

 Dick was murdered outside his apartment behind Loudon Ford in Salem on June 6, 1986. He died from a gunshot wound. He owned Hubbard's 7 & 14 truck stop.

If you have any information, please contact The Salem Police Department at 330-337-7811

Sherry Ieropoli

 On August 24, 2008, detectives were called to Sherri's home. She was found dead from an apparent gun shot wound. At the time, County Prosecutor Herron stated that her son was involved in the shooting that took her life, but no charges have ever been filed. Below are a few newspaper articles about this homicide. 

There continues to be activity in this case. Read more about this here. Considering all of this, there has still never been a conviction for her murder. 

Sheriff’s department investigating shooting death
From Review Staff Reports
POSTED: August 26, 2008

LISBON — The Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office released little detail Monday regarding the shooting death of a 47-year-old Lisbon woman Sunday evening, with the investigators still gathering information about what happened. A press release issued Monday morning reported the Sheriff’s Office received a call at 7:42 p.m. Sunday regarding a shooting at the Ieropoli residence, 10984 state Route 45, Lisbon. Sherry L. Ieropoli, who resided at the property with her husband and son, was found dead from a gunshot wound. When contacted by phone, Chief Deputy Allen Haueter said he couldn’t release any more information about the case, which remained under investigation. Sheriff David Smith responded to the scene with personnel from the Sheriff’s Office, along with personnel from the county Prosecutor’s Office, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification and the county Coroner’s Office.

June 15, 2010 at 9:44 PM

Herron: Troubling questions in woman’s death
By MARY ANN GREIER
POSTED: August 28, 2008
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Email: "Herron: Troubling questions in woman’s death"

LISBON —Columbiana County Prosecutor Robert Herron said Sherry L. Ieropoli’s son was involving in the shooting which took her life Sunday, but questions remain about what happened at the state Route 45 residence in Lisbon. “I am troubled by what appear to be inconsistencies in the forensic evaluation as compared to statements obtained by the sheriff’s department as to the circumstances of the shooting,” Herron said Wednesday. At the present time, he said “all indications are that the son was involved in the shooting,” but he wouldn’t talk about what may have precipitated the shooting or whether the victim was also involved. The only people in the house at the time were the victim, her husband Nicholas and her son Jesse. Herron said he believed “the husband may have been in another area of the home at the time of the shooting.” He revealed two separate shots were reportedly fired from a .22-caliber rifle in the Ieropoli residence. The gun was still loaded when investigators took the weapon as evidence. The Sheriff’s Office was called to the residence at 7:42 p.m. Sunday regarding a shooting, with the victim found dead from a gunshot wound, a press release said. Herron wouldn’t say if there was more than one wound or where Ieropoli was hit. He noted that investigators are still conducting interviews with some people, including individuals who had been to the residence just prior to the shooting, but left before it happened. The victim’s husband and son had already been interviewed. Chief Deputy Allen Haueter of the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office said they’re getting tips from some of the rumors about the shooting and detectives are conducting interviews. He said he didn’t expect to hear anything from the coroner’s office until sometime in September.  Mary Ann Greier can be reached at mgreier@salemnews.net

June 15, 2010 at 9:43 PM

Jamie Huffman

 Jamie Huffman was killed on May 9, 2004. The details about this case are still unknown. Apparently, Jamie was on his way home from Stitches Bar when a women found him laying unconscious laying on the side of the road. 3 men from the bar drove down the road and found him, loaded him in the car and placed him on the couch of his house. They left him there and when his girlfriend arrived home she noticed that he was not conscious and called an ambulance. He died later that day. We are not sure if this case is a case of homicide or vehicular homicide.

Bruce Burton

 Bruce was murdered on April 18, 1988. He died from a single gunshot wound to the head. His body was found 200 yards from his house. 

Police had been at his house days before and searched the entire grounds and when they returned again to check, his body was found. The coroner stated that he believed Bruce was shot where his body was found. Sheriff Koffel was the Sheriff at the time. 

If you have any information, please contact the Sheriff's Department 330-424-7255

Tim Wamsley

Tim Wamsley was a 1983 Beaver Local graduate. I graduated with him. 

He was found dead inside his girlfriends house with a gunshot wound to his chest, on Steubenville Pike Road in Lisbon on July 19, 2013. There has been a lot of speculation in this case. 

He had 2 sons, a daughter and a grand-daughter. 

There were other people in the house. 

I know Tim's sister very well and she has suffered tremendously since his death. There are a lot of unanswered questions. 

If you have any information, contact the Sheriff's Department 330-424-7255.

Irvin Keefer

 

 Irvin C. Keefer was murdered on January 14, 1976.
He owned a mini market in Glenmoor, Ohio that was adjoined to his house. (photo at the left) 

His wife was working at the store when threw an intercom system he had installed, he heard her being robbed around 5:45 pm. He ran over to help his wife and there were 2 men in masks with a 16 gauge shotgun. When he tried to protect her, they shot him in the chest killing him. His wife then picked up a ball bat and chased them away to their car where there were 3 more men waiting in the car. 

The vehicle was a 68/69 blue Chevy sedan.

There has also been speculation that this was a set up and family members of Irvin's said that the couple were fighting at the time of his death. 

 If you have any info, please contact the St. Clair Twp. Police department at 330-386-3585. 

Frank Daniels

 Frank Daniels was found on the bank of the Ohio River in Wellsville on September 8, 1974. He had been badly beaten & drowned. He was only 14 years old.

    There has been speculation over the years that the police were not interested in solving this case and that family members were threatened that they would suffer the same fate if they came forward. There are some interesting theories by family members if you read the comments on the ccfhv website. I know a few family members and I know this haunts them so please come forward if you know anything. 

 If you have any info, please contact The Wellsville Police Dept 330-532-1522 OR 

Prosecutor's Office at 330-420-0140

Gene Lysle

 Gene Lysle has been missing since June 13, 2004 from Wellsville, Ohio. He was last seen by a family member when he was dropped off at SR 213 in Wellsville. He indicated that he was going to hitchhike to a concert at Starlake Ampatheater in Burgettstown, PA. 

After the concert, he was possibly dropped off on Market Street near The Hot Dog Shoppe in East Liverpool. 

    Gene's Mom, Sherrill, has searched tirelessly since 2004 for information about what happened to her son. 

Anyone with any information please contact the Wellsville Police Dept. @ 330-532-1522

Joey Gilmore

 Joey Gilmore was a victim of a hit & run accident that took his life on October 24, 2000. 

The driver never stopped or came forward. Joey was only 17 years old.

There has been speculation that individuals were seen at the scene of the accident but quickly fled the scene. According to eye witnesses, it was 2 guys and a girl in the vehicle. 

He was hit while riding his bike down by Pondi's in Lisbon and his body was drug 1000 feet to down by Carter Lumber. He was then kicked out from underneath the car and left by the side of the road. He had no heals, buttocks and the back of his head were gone. He lived for 3 days in unbearable pain. His family and friends come to every event we have and they are all very sweet people. Help them get answers! 

If you have any information, please contact the Lisbon State Highways Patrol at 330-424-7783. 

Louise Davis

     Evelyn "Louise" Davis disappeared on June 21, 1979 in her hometown of East Liverpool. She was 16 years old. She was 4 months pregnant at the time of her disappearance. Several family members told authorities that she left with Robert Wooten, a friend of hers at the time.  Wooten told Louise that his wife, who had been away, had come home and wanted to see Louise. She left with him and said she'd be back by 10:00 p.m., but she never returned. A photo of Robert Wooten is to the right.

The next day, Louise's father and sister ran into Wooten while out running errands and asked where Louise was. Robert said she had run away from home and not to wait for her to come back. Louise's family contacted authorities, who initiated an investigation but they acted as if Louise was a runaway and put very little effort into finding her. Wooten has denied any involvement in Louise's disappearance. 

There is a Facebook page for her Help Find Louise Davis and her sister, Rachel did a podcast about her The Disappearance of Louise Davis that is very interesting. 

There have also been a few Age Regression photos I have put on the bottom of this post. 

    Davis never returned home that day and has never been seen since. Debbie Taylor, an East Liverpool resident was questioned by the police & said that she did not know Davis, but then later changed her story and said that they were friends. 2 days after she spoke with police, Debbie Taylor along with 2 of her 3 children were murdered. Wooten confessed to their murders and was sentenced to life in prison. He maintains his innocence in the Davis case. If you have any information about Louise Davis and what might have happened to her, please contact the East Liverpool Police Department @ 330-385-1234.

Tracy Hill

 Tracy disappeared on June 7, 2001. The following is published on the Charlie Projects website here.

Tracy was last seen in Columbiana County, Ohio on June 7, 2001. She went to her job at a machine shop, Duo Corp, in North Lima, Ohio. The job was a temporary one and she had been employed there for just six weeks by June 7. The next day, a woman claiming to be Tracy reported off work. She has never been heard from again.

Tracy was a student at the Salem, Ohio campus of Kent State University at the time of her disappearance. Her family reported her as a missing person on June 17 after receiving a call from a college official regarding her absences from classes.

Tracy's relatives searched her mobile home and discovered that all of her personal belongings were inside her residence, including her clothes, contact lenses, makeup and jewelry. The only item that appeared to be missing was her purse. Dirty dishes had been stacked on the table, which Tracy's family members said is uncharacteristic of her. 

Shortly after Tracy's disappearance was reported, her car was found in the parking lot of Mark's Landing. There was no sign of her at the scene and no evidence was recovered from the vehicle.

Tracy was separated from her husband, Clifford E. Hill Jr., in June 2001. She received an order of protection from Clifford the day before she was last seen. Clifford was arrested and charged with the unauthorized use of Tracy's vehicle after she was reported missing. He claimed that he did not know his wife's whereabouts and had had permission to use the car that day. Curiously, the vehicle was found not far from where Clifford's mother lives.

Clifford was convicted of unauthorized use and theft, receiving stolen property, and forgery charges all unrelated to his wife's disappearance and sentenced to prison. After his release, he was sentenced to four years in prison for robbery in connection with the 2004 armed hold-up of an Amish buggy. The robbery netted $6 and a Bible.

He was released in August 2008, but was rearrested in April 2009 for shooting a man during a home invasion robbery. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison for that offense.

Clifford is considered a person of interest in his wife's disappearance, and her family believes he was involved, but he maintains his innocence. A photo of him is posted with this case summary.

Tracy's family believes that she was murdered and her body was possibly dumped in Wayne County, but there is little evidence available in her case. Law enforcement officers have conducted many searches and found nothing pertaining to Tracy's whereabouts.

There have been no arrests in connection with Tracy's disappearance, but foul play is suspected due to the fact that she not contacted anyone since her disappearance.

Tracy is a graduate of Waynedale High School. Some agencies give the place of her disappearance as Rogers, Ohio. 

There is always activity with this case. I know that investigators searched and dug at various places following leads that she was buried somewhere. As with any evidence of a domestic violence situation, it only makes sense that the husband remains a suspect.  There was another article in 2002 where her mom discussed what life is like wondering what happened to her daughter here . My heart breaks for her and Tracy's dad. I cannot imagine their pain. 

If you have information in this case, please contact the Sheriff's Department at 330-424-7255. 

Dick Altomare

 Richard (Dick) was found shot to death at Crestview school on September 19, 1999. According to his family, he was going there to meet someone about some rental property. There are no leads or suspects in his case. 

    In August 2000, Altomare's son, Richard Jr. of Salem, called on our former Prosecutor to remove himself from the case, accusing him of failing to pursue key evidence in the crime. He also filed suit asking Herron to turn over any evidence in his father's case, but Herron stated it was an active case and did not qualify as public record.  I am not sure about any new evidence or if the current prosecutor is looking at any key evidence. You can read more about this here.

If you have any information, please call the Sheriff's Department at 330-424-7255. 

Craig Roberts

 Craig Roberts was knick-named "King of the Dune Buggies" due to his love of them and even built his own. I met Craig's family shortly after I started CCFHV. They have tirelessly looked for answers in his case. 

    Craig was found shot to death in his home on August 26, 2002.  When Craig's brother Steve was 1st notified about this, he was told that the police thought it was a suicide.

Craig was shot twice in the head while he was in his bed asleep. (you heard me right...twice!)
Steve Roberts has been very active in Craig's investigation. He has pulled all the resources available to him and spent countless hours, days, weeks, years, etc. trying to find out what happened to his brother. (He may have ideas, but a little justice would be nice!) 

I know that a few years back, someone came forward in this case stating that they were present during the murder and even had a hand in it, but our former Prosecutor said he didn't believe the person so therefore, it didn't go anywhere. There seems to be a few conflicting stories about this confession and the fact that there were 5 people present in the house when he was murdered and you can read some of the comments here. 

If you have any information in this case, please call the Prosecutor's Office at 330-420-0140. 

Walter Valentine

 Walter Valentine , 60, of Negley, Ohio was named a homicide after his burned remains were positively identified. His body was discovered in his burned mobile home on Scotts Mill Road in February of 2003, with an autopsy revealing multiple gunshot wounds.

I have been unable to find out much about this case. I have learned that he has a son who lives in Columbus and everyone that knew Walter said that he was a great guy but kept to himself. That is it. That is all I have been able to find out so if you have any info please call the Sheriff's Department with any information. 330-424-7255. 

Terry Ballard

Terry's sister Michelle, explained the events surrounding Terry's death better than I ever could.  

Terry Ballard was born on September 7th, 1976. My mother delivered him prematurely in the 7th month. I am blessed that my mother and brother both survived the delivery. When asked, who do you choose to live, my mother said her unborn child.

Terry was the middle of 5 children, 3 boys, and 2 girls. He lived in Cleveland and attended a Catholic school through elementary. He was an altar boy at St. Stephen's Church. He was only 13 years old when he lost his father, also named Terry Ballard, on Friday, April 13th, 1990 to murder.

Our mother decided to move us to New Waterford to get away from the city and crime following our father's death. The sad truth is that not even the small town could hide Terry from the black cloud that would return to haunt our family.

Terry was borderline mentally retarded, but he had a great personality, manners, big dreams, and was a very hard worker. He was so vulnerable to big plans others had made for him. On September 21, 1995, my brother was picked up by a friend from his home on Crestview Rd in New Waterford, he would never be seen again by his family or friends.
 
He turned 19 September 7th, three weeks later, I was watching the news, when I saw somebody had been found dead. With the outline of a murder victim in the upper right-hand corner, it was stated foul play was suspected as the highly decomposed body was found at BFI, the local dump in East Palestine. I flipped the stations and seen it 2 more times. It was as if I knew. Minutes later, my brother pulled up in front of my house. I collapsed in my doorway. Not again! Not Terry!
 
My mother could be quoted as saying "When my husband died, I lost a piece of my heart. When my son Terry died, it was as if somebody ripped my heart out and severed a limb."
 
She is totally devastated to this day as well as the rest of my siblings and family.
It was later determined that Terry died from multiple stab wounds. He was identified only by a piece of tattoo that was supposed to read "Mom & Dad" in a heart.
 
He was buried on Friday, October 13th, 1995. (exactly 5 1/2 years after our father).
Father was killed on Friday the 13th and the son was buried on Friday the 13th.
 
There are several suspects in the case. Each and every one of them Terry considered his friend. Please show your friendship to him now and come forward with the truth.
We beg you. Let my brother rest in peace. Help our mother begin to heal. 

 
- Michelle

Please contact the Columbiana County Sheriff's Dept with any info. (330) 424-7255.

Dalton Springer

Dalton Springer was murdered at 3 years old. He died from blunt force trauma. He has 5 healing fractures in different stages when he died. He had been in the care of children's services in the past but was returned to his mother's care. Please look at his face. 

    There were only 2 adults in the house when he was murdered. TWO!!! His mother Tiffany and his step-father J.C. You can read all about Dalton here. This includes the history I have had with this boy's family. Personally, this case infuriates me. What could this sweet little boy have done to deserve the fate he received? Look at his pictures, read the history, and tell me if you don't feel the same way. 

    Dalton laid in an unmarked grave until just a few years ago because his grandmother (Mom's mother) refused to allow a headstone on his grave because it was purchased by his stepdad's family. His headstone below was kept in a storage garage at the cemetery for years and years. I purchased one of those Everlife Candles for his grave myself, and his mother's family refused to let me put it on his grave and threatened to destroy it if I did. 

So I carried it around to all of our events and lit it in Dalton's honor. I still have the candle. 

November 17, 2000. That is the day he was murdered. No charges have ever been filed. Both of his parents seem to have gotten on with their lives. He would be 24 years old now. What would his life look like had he lived? 

If you have any information about this case, please contact the Prosecuter's Office at 330-420-0140. 

Charlie McKinnon

     Charlie McKinnon was murdered a little over a year after Mike was. Charlie was attacked by the press, in my opinion, and the negative crap that followed were ridiculously and directly responsible for hurting his family and they are all people that I truly love. The injustice in this case continues.  

    Charlie was a dad, a son, a brother, and a friend to many. His twin daughters (known as Charlie's Angels) have to listen to the negative crap that is continuously said about their father. His Mom, and siblings have battled ignorance since the scene of his murder in 2006. They were treated horribly by law enforcement on-scene (and many times since) and even tough there were only a few people in the house at the time of his murder, no one was checked for GSR except Charlie. He was shot in the back after dropping off his wife. His truck is also in the impound lot at the Sheriff's Department. 

    There has been very little activity in Charlie's case and the family members, one of whom must have shot him, have since moved away and never looked back. Charlie's family, however, have to live with this every single day. 

    I know these people. I have personally witnessed the cruelty that they have had to endure mostly from ignorant people that have no idea what they are talking about. The press felt the need to focus on the fact that Charlie's wife had an Order of Protection against him, but did not bother to check or they would have found that it was filed in anger and they never spent time apart. But then sometimes, the truth just doesn't matter to the media. 

     Charlie's Mom was one of my aunts closest friends. My aunt used to say that there was a special bond between the two of them that no one could possibly understand. Charlie was the baby of the family and Mike was an only child. Totally different circumstances about their murders but both Mom's formed an unbreakable bond and that made me so happy to know that they had each other. To this day, Charlie's Mom cleans off Mike's headstone at the cemetery when she goes to visit her son, because my aunt is gone and can no longer do that. THIS is the type of family Charlie has. 

    We need information in this case, but please understand I will not allow victim blaming EVER for any of our victims. If you have a nice memory of Charlie that you want to share here, I am sure the family would love to read them. I was not fortunate enough to know Charlie, but I am lucky enough to know his family and I can tell you that they are a great bunch of people. You will not find kinder people on the planet. They would all go out of their way to help others and I will do everything in my power to help them get justice for Charlie. 

    His family has been through enough in my opinion.  Please help them get justice for Charlie by coming forward if you know something. 

Contact the Sheriff's Department 330-424-7255 

Michael Williams

     Michael Williams was murdered on August 30, 2005. He was found at around 9 am slumped over the steering wheel of his car here after working his shift at VM Northstar Steel. 

 Michael was 37 years old. His car was found just a few feet from his driveway. His official cause of death was "blunt force trauma to his head and extremities". 

    What we know so far is that he had spoken to his girlfriend on his ride home and said he was "home" before hanging up. The police believe he never made it home because his lunchbox was still on his passenger side seat. It rained that morning and according to police, "they found very little evidence".  His car remains at the impound lot at the Sheriff's department. Recently there has been new activity in his case with new detectives following old and new leads. Many people were not ever interviewed for whatever reason, and even though my Aunt, Mike's Mom passed away in 2017, we are hoping that his case will get solved. 

     There have been tons of speculation about what exactly happened to Mike and even several people have confessed to others that they murdered him, but they didn't amount to anything. Rumors circulated that there was a police officer involved, who committed suicide shortly after Mike's death, but again, there was no evidence to support that. Other rumors include that it was drug related, although he did not ever do drugs and his toxicology report verified that no drugs were in his system, and of course, the ever popular "he must have been messing around with a married woman", which anyone that had ever spent 5 minutes with Mike would realize that this too is not something he would ever do. 

    My Aunt was angry and with good reason! People used to call, specifically law enforcement or the prosecutor, and ask me to "calm her down" or "talk to her" and I refused. I told them that I would NEVER tell her how she should feel and no one has a right to. Her beloved son was murdered and his killer remains free. Of course she would be angry. 

I have renewed hope because we have all new investigators and a new prosecutor in our county. I KNOW that new leads (and some old) are being followed. New evidence is being presented and although it is a cold case, as are most of the cases from CCFHV, it doesn't feel that cold to me. To me, it was just yesterday and I watched my Aunt suffer until the day she died always wondering what happened to her son, and WHY? 

    I will continue to push people about this case for the same reason that I started to in 2005. Because I loved my Aunt very much, I loved my cousin very much, and because no one should ever have to wonder for years and years and years. His life mattered. He mattered and deserves justice. 

Here is a podcast about my thoughts about Michael I did a few years ago. 

From There to Here

    When I first started ccfhv, the entire point of that website was to raise awareness on all of the unsolved murders in Columbiana County but it was much more personal for me. My cousin, Michael Williams, was one of those victims. Since 2005, I have learned a lot. Some good, some bad, but throughout all of it, I have very few regrets. 

    I will be the first to admit that I made a lot of mistakes. I was really naive. I have since learned about politicians, the judicial system, how families can either become closer or implode altogether, I learned that people like to make promises they don't keep and anyone can claim they "care" about your cause, but only if it benefits them. But in the same sense, you can find enormous support from people you wouldn't normally expect it from. I have learned about behavior and profound mental illnesses and that everyone, everywhere struggles with something. 

    I have also been privileged enough to see some remarkable things. I became friends with people that give everything they've got for their passion and have never ceased to amaze me with their kindness and compassion for families. I have also seen the strongest, most resilient people on the planet. I have dedicated around 10 years to further my education and have learned more about behavior than anyone really should, but still get blindsided once in a while, especially when I want to believe in someone so badly, but I am getting much, much, better at that. 

 

     I have known some great Law Enforcement Officers and Detectives and some not so great. The same goes for elected officials and even those in positions that are designed to help victims. 

    I try to always "walk my walk". If I tell you I will do something, I try my best to do it. I have spoken at events with severe walking pneumonia, I have traveled for hours during a snowstorm and having back spasms. I cannot count the times that I have gone to events or stood out in the blazing sun, day after day, event after event. Now please, I am not in any way bragging. I believe that I have been let down so much by people I counted on, that I get ridiculously obsessive about keeping my word because it's the most important thing you can do. 

My own battles with depression and anxiety have emerged and as you will see throughout this blog. But I promised you that I will be honest. I don't sugarcoat the truth. And I am sure some people will definitely NOT appreciate that. If I can inspire a feeling, any feeling, then that is all I want. 

 

     I want you to be comfortable here. I want you to share your thoughts, and submit tips, which I will pass along to the appropriate authorities. I want you to laugh, cry, be inspired, become angry, and be yourself. Hopefully, you will find some interesting content on these pages and maybe even learn something. 

    Welcome to the blog!