27-05-2025
Coroner to discuss developments in case of woman found buried with a rose in 2018
Saturday will mark seven years since a woman was found buried in a shallow grave in North Avondale. She was wrapped in a sheet and had a long-stemmed rose on her chest.
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
