At approximately 8:30am this morning a deceased female was found near a fence line at the dead end of N. Brownell St. in the City of Chillicothe.
The woman has been identified as 31-year-old Rebecca Cade, a mother of 15-month old boy and a life-long resident of the community.
Rebecca Cade
The woman’s body dangled, as her sleeve was caught high on the fence. However, the police state :
There were obvious injuries to the body and the case is under investigation by Chillicothe Police Detectives, Ross County Coroner’s Office, Ross County Prosecuting Attorney and crime scene units from Ohio BCI&I.
Investigators said she was beaten badly. Neighbors said her face was unrecognizable.
Tammy Dixon saw the body and said, “Just put my hands over my face and said, ‘This can’t be happening here, it’s not real, and I just didn’t see what I thought I saw.'”
Police made an arrest in the case on Tuesday evening, charging 27-year-old Donnie Cochenour Jr. with one count of murder. He is being held on a $2 million bond at the Ross County Jail. Investigators said he admitted to the killing. While the motive remains unclear, police said the two were involved in a fight Tuesday night.
Police say Cade tried running from Cochenour when she got caught up in the fence.
At a news briefing Wednesday afternoon, Police Chief Keith Washburn said Cade died of blunt-force trauma to the head and neck. Washburn said it appeared she fought her attacker. Investigators said they found what they believe is the murder weapon near the scene: a bloody rock, about the size of a grapefruit.
Washburn expressed sympathies to Cade’s family and said they want their privacy during this difficult time.
An autopsy is set for Thursday.
What do victim’s friends and neighbors have to say about this story?
Diana Carter lives near the homicide scene and said they are haunted by the fact they never heard a fight between Cade and her attacker.
“We didn’t do enough, we should have done more. It is a young girl’s life that now is taken,” Carter said.
A friend who lived with Cade for a couple years said she is scared and saddened by the violence. Tabitha Long said Cade had learning disabilities and was an easy target: “She was very gullible, very easily misled, as long as she thought you were her friend she would do just about anything for you.”
Long said, “I was shocked, I mean, it is very heartbreaking because she was such a nice girl, I can’t fathom it, I don’t think it’s set in yet.”
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Cade had a 15-month-old son, Bryan, who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome and now lives with his aunt, Denise Hughes, after Cade “lost interest” in him.
Hughes told the Dispatch, “Rebecca didn’t deserve that, what happened to her. She was always running the streets and always doing the drugs, but she had people who loved her. I hope she knew that.”
Ashley Kellough, 30, said Wednesday that she and Cade had been friends for over twenty years, the two attended Pickaway Ross together; and when she heard it was Cade who had been found, her heart dropped.
“She was cool, calm, collective, had great heart,” Kellough said. “She was a great girl.”
According to officials, Cade and Cochenour were “some type of acquaintances.”
Kellough said she also knew Cochenour when he was a child, after his family moved into her neighborhood.
“I can’t believe Donnie would do something like this,” Kellough said.
How are officials dealing with the case and the murderer?
Donnie Cochenour
Washburn said officials are actively trying to put an end to violent crime in the area: “This person is behind bars, locked up where he needs to be. Hopefully taking him off the street will make this community a little bit safer. We need the public’s help, they need to be vigilant and watchful.”
Officials believe “some type of argument” began somewhere in the open field, and a trail of blood lead investigators to believe Cade was running from the suspect. Officials also indicated that Cade had been climbing the fence in an attempt to get out of the area inside the fencing. During the press conference, it was revealed that she likely died on the fence.
Although Washburn stated in the press conference that he had heard Cochenour might have been drunk, police did not perform any chemical testing on Cochenour to see if he was under the influence of any drugs or alcohol at the time he was arrested.
In Cochenour’s arraignment hearing Wednesday morning, Rutherford said Cochenour has 21 failure to appear charges, several arrests,. Court records indicate he has been on three years community control sanctions after a second degree misdemeanor of resisting arrest charge, in July 2013.
Cochenour was arrested at about 6:15 p.m. Tuesday after a tip from the community took police and sheriff’s officials to a home on Three Locks Road, where Cochenour was found and placed under arrest without incident.
City police Detective “Bud” Lytle said Cade’s family requested no contact from media and had no comment.
