Authorities have identified the man whose decomposed body was found earlier this week in a wooded area near the former Lindsey’s Restaurant in Canton.
The Stark County Coroner’s Office on Friday identified the deceased as Randal E. Cantwell, 43, of Canton.
His body was discovered Tuesday, Aug. 6, near the 1900 block of Tuscarawas Street W, close to Dueber Avenue SW. Officers were dispatched to the area Wednesday afternoon after someone reported finding human remains in the bushes alongside the vacant building.
Responding officers confirmed the body was severely decomposed but still clothed. A backpack, cellphone, and other personal items were found nearby.
The Stark County Coroner’s Office assisted with the removal of the remains. The cause of death has not yet been released.
Police said the building’s exterior surveillance cameras have not worked in nearly three years. Investigators also contacted a nearby McDonald’s, but staff said their cameras do not face the direction of the scene.
Photos of the scene and the remains were submitted as part of the ongoing investigation, which remains active by the Canton Police Department and the Stark County Coroner’s Office.
