Coroner to discuss developments in case of woman found buried with a rose in 2018
Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco and her team have made multiple pleas to the public in an attempt to identify her with little progress.
However, Sammarco announced she will be discussing developments in the case during a May 27 press conference.
Back in 2018, children spotted a portion of her body exposed in the 400 block of Glenwood Avenue at Alston Park apartments.
The coroner said she had been buried for some time and her body was decomposing.
She was found wearing a tank top, a Smoky Mountain Moonshine T-shirt and a sweater along with loose pants when she was found. Earrings and black rope bracelets were found on her body.
Though the cause of death was not determined, Sammarco never suspected foul play.
"They didn't have to bury her. They didn't have to leave a rose behind. Clearly, it was someone who cared about her," Sammarco said.
Investigators recovered DNA, determined she had cocaine and morphine in her system and reconstructed what she may have looked like using a 3D scan of her skull.
This gave investigators a face, even though they still lacked a name.
In 2023, new digital facial reconstruction images were released with the help of the Ohio Attorney General's Office and the Ohio State University.
Sammarco will hold a press conference at 1 p.m.
The Enquirer will update this story.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Coroner to discuss developments in case of woman buried with a rose
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USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
These parents don't only fear the death of their child. They fear dying first.
Karen and Jeff Groff have read the same children's books to their son Danny for nearly four decades. At 6 feet, 1 inch tall, 39-year-old Danny Groff enjoys sitting in between his parents on their couch in Upper Arlington, Ohio holding a stuffed Bert Muppet toy. He leans in toward his mother as she reads "Curious George Rides a Bike," and breaks into a smile when she whispers, "George got curious." Danny Groff has Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare and severe type of epilepsy that typically develops in early childhood. About 50,000 people in the U.S. and 1 million people worldwide have the condition, according to the LGS Foundation. Every time a seizure happens, brain damage occurs that can lead to learning difficulties and other lifelong disabilities. Danny Groff has seizures daily, and Karen Groff said he has the developmental abilities of a 2-year-old. He also has Type 1 diabetes, which means he can only stay part time at his adult day program. The staff there can't distribute the insulin he needs to live. He spends mornings at the program with his peers, and the rest of his time at home with his parents. More: Revealing data shows number of caregivers in the US has skyrocketed Danny Groff has grown accustomed to his routine: morning coffee, daily injections and medications, story time, afternoon outings, "Wheel of Fortune" in the evenings and Friday 'happy hours' with his extended family. He adores his 10-month-old niece, Cecelia, and his Buckeye-themed bedroom, where the Ohio State University logo adorns everything from his bedding to his lamp to his wall art. The Groffs know it can't always be this way, but their son can't talk about his future. Now, both 66 and retired educators, they are planning for two outcomes, which Karen Groff said are equally scary. 'Our worst nightmare is that we lose him first,' she said. 'And our worst nightmare is that we go first.' When parents and caregivers die or otherwise can no longer provide care to their loved one − whether they be a person with a disability or someone else who needs care − that responsibility inevitably gets passed down to another friend or family member. Even if the person being cared for moves to a facility with caregiving staff, someone still needs to help with that move and keep tabs on the person's care and finances. Caregiving is becoming increasingly common in the U.S., where a new study from AARP found nearly 1 in 4 adults are caregivers. The Groffs are in the midst of prearranging three funerals: their own and Danny's. 'It's a little overwhelming," Karen Groff said. "I can't die.' 'It's OK to ask for help' Parents of adult children with rare diseases often struggle with the ongoing care their kids need. Research into rare conditions is often limited, leaving many parents like the Groffs uncertain on how to plan for the future. More: Nearly half of parents with disabled kids report suicidal thoughts, but can't find help The National Organization for Rare Disorders' help line in 2024 responded to nearly 135,000 requests for assistance. Jill Polander, vice president of patient services, said at least 125 of those calls, annually, are from parents and guardians seeking guidance on how to plan for their kids' futures. Some families opt for residential facilities. Others cobble together a team of family, friends and paid caregivers that can provide 24/7 in-home care. Both options can be costly − for example, a 2020 report from the National Disability Institute, in partnership with several universities, estimated that a household with an adult with a disability requires, on average, an additional $17,690 a year. The Groffs said they are still figuring it out. A 2018 University of Illinois study, which surveyed more than 380 parents of children and adults with disabilities, found fewer than half of those parents made long-term plans about who will take over their child's care. Several hadn't made plans at all, citing financial constraints and lack of resources, and more than 7% of parents in the survey said the topic was too "emotionally loaded" or stressful to talk about. "It's normal to have these concerns," Polander said. "It's OK to ask for help." Finding the right help Equally anxiety-inducing for the Groffs is the level of responsibility they feel they'll have to leave to their daughter, who has a family of her own. 'We hate to put that burden on them," Karen Groff said. But Jessica Hartman, 36, said she doesn't see her brother as a burden. As a special education preschool teacher, she said, "everything Danny taught me I now use in my career." Hartman's husband agreed early on – they'd be ready to take care of Danny. More: Your kids are all grown up. But what does being an 'empty nester' mean in 2025? It can be hard for some parents and guardians to explain how difficult their care duties are, and to find caregiving help from those who understand the level of care that's needed. The Groffs rarely sleep through the night and are tasked with everything from first aid to clean-up after a seizure. An in-home nurse helped for 25 years, but recently retired. Kena Pearson, CFO for the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics, has a daughter, Ashley, with Angelman Syndrome, a rare neurogenetic disorder. Safety is a big concern, she said. Her daughter is 20 years old and 120 pounds. If she falls, she needs someone to catch her. 'There's no hitting up for us and having a date night," Pearson said. Hartman grew up with Danny Groff and understands what his care entails. The Groffs plan to add Hartman as her brother's guardian. Still, her parents would rather spare her the responsibility of his daily needs by having a nursing staff lined up to care for him in their home, if and when they die before him. Hartman and other family members would still have to help manage those caregivers and his finances to make sure everything runs smoothly. Danny Groff gets a little more than $600 each month through Supplemental Security Income, Karen Groff said. But that's not enough for him to live on. And to keep government benefits, people with disabilities need to keep their assets under $2,000. For now, Hartman is set up to inherit everything her parents own with the understanding that the money is for her brother's care. 'We're trying to be extremely frugal in retirement so that that is untouched," Karen Groff said. Building a road map for other families battling rare diseases There is an emotional toll to caring for a child with a rare disease and planning for their future, Polander said, but many caregivers don't want to talk to their family and friends about it because they don't want "their entire world to revolve around caregiving, illness, sickness." 'Parents have so much shame and fear around this topic. It's such a taboo, even in the disability world,' said Rosellen Reif, a mental health counselor in North Carolina who works with patients with disabilities and their families. Thanks to medical advancements, people with disabilities are living longer, Reif said. Before the turn of the century, many parents of children with disabilities were certain they would outlive their children. For some, that grief came with relief since those parents could see through their child's end-of-life care. Parents who need to make long-term care decisions that extend their own lives are in a "more ambiguous place," Reif said. Reif said she often rehearses conversations about long-term care with her patients, or helps them write letters to friends and family members. It's most important, Reif said, for the main caregivers (often parents) to be aligned on those decisions before involving others. Reif also encourages families of people with high care needs to make some transitions early, so that parents can be involved in the early stages of those next steps, and to not overwhelm their kids. 'We don't want them to lose their parents and in the same week have to move into somewhere new," Reif said. "That's a lot of really difficult transition and loss all at once.' When her son was first diagnosed, "it was literally terrifying," Karen Groff said. She longed for a community that would understand her situation, and after years, found a Facebook group that helped. 'You can go on there any time of the day or night, ask a question, and someone will be up at night and get back to you," she said. "And you need that sense that you are not alone.' The National Organization for Rare Disorders offers support groups and patient advocacy groups for families, too, so that caregivers can "talk to somebody who gets it," Polander said. As part of the organization's help line, call takers also connect families with resources that can help with an array of issues that come up while arranging care. Community is key, Karen Groff said. That's why, as board president of the Lennox-Gasaut Syndrome Foundation, she partnered with other patient advocacy groups and UCB, a global pharmaceutical company, to create a guide for families of adults battling rare epilepsy. The "C.A.R.E. Binder" is a workbook that helps families organize care and has suggestions on how to talk with loved ones about next steps. It also offers legal and financial guidance. Keeping "Uncle Danny" safe and happy The Groffs are still looking for a new in-home nurse to help them in their day-to-day routine. They said they expect that search to take at least another six months because of the nursing shortage, which is exacerbated for specialized care for someone with seizures. "We're not having luck with that so far," Karen Groff said. Pearson has had trouble finding care for her daughter, too, and said she supplements her daughter's caregivers nearly double what the state pays them. "Some people don't have that luxury," she said, but "the quality of care that you can find for $11.71 an hour is real low." Pearson is also looking for an in-home care solution, in case she dies before her daughter. The Groffs said they just want their son to be safe and happy. And he's happiest when he's around the people he loves, being "Uncle Danny" to Hartman's baby and laughing with his aunts and uncles at family gatherings. "It's all about quality of life at this point," Karen Groff said. This story is part of USA TODAY's The Cost of Care series highlighting caregivers from across the country. Previous feature for The Cost of Care: His sick wife asked him to kill her. Now that she's gone, he says the loneliness is worse. Previous feature for The Cost of Care: Her mom got sick, she moved in to help. Years later, they both feel trapped. Madeline Mitchell's role covering women and the caregiving economy at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. Reach Madeline at memitchell@ and @maddiemitch_ on X.
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Cincinnati brawl suspects arraigned on new charges as bond changes provoke courtroom drama
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NBC News
4 days ago
- NBC News
Federal judge orders Ohio State and Strauss sex abuse victims into mediation
A federal judge has ordered Ohio State University to resolve via mediation the remaining lawsuits filed by former students who claim it failed to protect them from a sexual predator on the school payroll. U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson issued the order Monday as the university still faces five active lawsuits from 236 men alleging that Dr. Richard Strauss molested them, mostly under the guise of giving physicals. 'The Ohio State University portrays itself as a different university today than it was when Dr. Richard Strauss abused hundreds of young men — for decades — as its employee,' Watson, of the Southern District of Ohio, wrote. 'Yet it is today's Ohio State that must reckon with the consequences of that ugly past in these cases.' If the case went to trial and the accusers won, it would be a 'pyrrhic' victory, Watson wrote. 'The best way for plaintiffs to close this horrific chapter of their lives and for Ohio State to move forward as a respectable institution of higher education, is through a mutual resolution short of a trial,' the judge wrote. Watson, in his order, referred the cases to Layn Phillips, a former Oklahoma federal judge who mediated the lawsuits filed against Michigan State by some 200 women athletes who were sexually abused by sports doctor Larry Nasser. Michigan State paid Nassar sex abuse survivors $500 million, which is believed to be the largest settlement ever in a sexual misconduct case involving a university. 'He got Michigan State to pay the victims millions in settlement money. So we see this as a big win for us,' one of the OSU plaintiffs, who asked not to be identified to avoid angering Watson, told NBC News. Phillips will be working alongside fellow mediators Catherine Geyer and Michelle Yoshida, as well as law clerk Caroline Kedeshian, Watson's order states. Watson also gave both sides a deadline of Feb. 27, 2026 to provide the court with a progress report 'at which point the Court will consider whether additional mediation would be productive.' In the meantime, lawyers for OSU and the plaintiffs will be allowed to continue taking depositions from witnesses. Among those who have already been deposed are Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who was the assistant wrestling coach at the university from 1986 to 1994 before he got into politics, four plaintiffs in lawsuits against the university told NBC News last month. Jordan has repeatedly and publicly denied any knowledge that Strauss was preying on athletes. He was deposed about a month after the release of an HBO Max documentary about the Strauss scandal called ' Surviving Ohio State,' in which one of the wrestlers he once coached called him a liar. Jordan is not a defendant, but he is referred to in some of the lawsuits alleging he was aware of the abuse. Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Watson's ruling. A spokesperson for Ohio State, Benjamin Johnson, also declined to comment, saying via email, 'We don't typically comment on pending litigation." Ohio State found itself under fire in 2018 after a whistleblowing former wrestler named Mike DiSabato went public with allegations that Strauss had sexually abused him and hundreds of other athletes and that the school knew about it but did nothing to stop him. Strauss preyed on hundreds of men from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s. He died by suicide in 2005. An independent investigation sponsored by Ohio State and conducted by the Perkins Coie law firm concluded in May 2019 that Strauss sexually abused at least 177 male athletes and students and that coaches and administrators knew about it for two decades but failed to stop him. Since the release of the report, OSU has said it has paid out $60 million in settlement money and its former president has publicly apologized 'to each person who endured' abuse at the hands of Strauss. But it has balked at settling the remaining lawsuits.
