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WEATHERSFIELD -- The body found in a wooded area of the township in December has been identified as Randy J. Michaels, who was reported missing from Youngstown in May 2021 when he was 33.
Youngstown police detective Jason Simon stated in a news release that after Michaels was reported missing by his mother, Youngstown police launched a missing persons investigation that spanned months, but Michaels was not located. He was subsequently entered into LEADS / NCIC and NAMUS.gov in the event another law enforcement agency encountered him. Though various tips and information came in over the years and were followed up, Michaels remained a missing person.
In late November, the Struthers Police Department (while looking into an unrelated matter) received information about a previously unreported death within its city. An investigation was immediately launched based upon that intelligence, which led Struthers police detectives to believe the unreported death might be Michaels. They then received a credible, actionable tip that Michaels' body was located in a wooded area off Salt Springs Road, just over the border of Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Weathersfield.
On Dec. 11, the Struthers Police Department, Trumbull County Sheriff's Office, Trumbull County Coroner's Office and Youngstown Police Department -- acting on the tip -- discovered human remains in a drainage ditch about a quarter-mile off Salt Springs Road. The Trumbull County Coroner's Office took possession of the remains and began its inquiry into identifying them.
When the body was discovered in December, Trumbull County Sheriff Paul Monroe said the incident was being treated as a homicide.
In cooperation with BCI and the Mercyhurst Forensic Anthropology Laboratory, the coroner's office was able to positively identify the remains as Randy Michaels. The cause of his death is being listed as "undetermined."
As the investigation stands, Michaels appears to have died in Struthers after having gone missing from Youngstown. The Struthers Police Department has taken lead and is continuing its investigation. As such, no details about the crime scene, leads or other investigatory information can be shared.
The news release said, "Investigators want to highlight that tips and information provided by the public, as well as cooperation by multiple law enforcement agencies, criminal justice entities and community partners, were instrumental in locating and identifying Michaels and providing some closure to his family. We want to assure the public, the media and most importantly the other families of missing persons, that the investigation into their loved one's disappearance also continues. These cases are always challenging but they are never forgotten about," Simon states in the news release. "Both the Youngstown and Struthers police departments extend their thoughts and condolences to the family of Mr. Michaels during this time."