Canton police have launched an investigation after a decomposed body was discovered in a wooded area near a local business Wednesday afternoon.
Officers were dispatched to the 1900 block of Tuscarawas St. W after someone reported finding human remains in the bushes alongside the building, near Dueber Avenue SW, according to a police report.
Responding officers confirmed the body was severely decomposed but still clothed. A backpack, a cellphone, and other personal items were also found near the remains.
The Stark County Coroner’s Office responded to assist with the removal. The cause of death has not been released, and the identity of the deceased remains unknown.
Police spoke with the property owner, who told officers the building’s exterior security cameras have not worked in nearly three years. Investigators also contacted a nearby McDonald’s, but staff said their surveillance cameras do not face the direction of the scene.
Photos of the scene and the remains were taken and submitted as part of the ongoing investigation.
The case remains under investigation by the Canton Police Department and the Stark County Coroner’s Office.
