Authorities search river on Ohio 545 for evidence in Ashland homicide
OLIVESBURG - Members of the Ashland County Sheriff's Office dive team, Ashland police and investigators from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation searched the Black Fork along Ohio 545 Tuesday morning for evidence related to an unsolved homicide case in Ashland County earlier this year.
Tuesday at the scene, Ashland County Sheriff's Lt. Jason Martin said authorities were searching the river and area for items they believe might be at the site, related to a homicide they are investivating that happened at a residence on Township Road 851.
"We're just working on a tip that we had come in, so we're just following up on it," he said, from Ohio 545 near the bridge near Olivesburg in Richland County.
In February, investigators said they hope to soon make an arrest in the shooting of a 41-year-old man whose body was discovered in Orange Township in Ashland County.
'Ultimate goal' is to make an arrest
"That’s the ultimate goal," Chief Deputy David Blake of the Ashland County Sheriff's Office told the Times-Gazette earlier.
Kurtis Harstine's body was found Jan. 27 in the second-floor master bedroom of a home on Township Road 851, Blake had previously confirmed.
Harstine was reported missing the morning he was found.
Investigators said the man had been dead for "some time." His body was taken to Lucas County for an autopsy.
Authorities and investigators searched the riverbed by boat for items, dragging a large magnet as law enforcement officers pulled the boat back and forth from the sides of the bank. Divers also could be seen searching in the water.
Tuesday the water level was fairly low, although weather forecasters were predicting rain and showers starting Wednesday and continuing throughout this week. Authorities and investigators did not find the evidence they were searching for.
Victim Kurtis Harstine was Army veteran
According to his obituary, Harstine was a graduate of River View High School, then received his bachelor’s degree from Ashland University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta, before going on to earn his master’s degree from the Ohio State University.
He served in the Army, including tours in Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He had been a social worker with Mental Health Intensive Case Management at the Veterans Administration in Mansfield for 13 years where he impacted many lives. He also volunteered with Team Rubicon, providing Veteran-led disaster relief, and made several mission trips over the years.
lwhitmir@gannett.com
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Twitter: @LWhitmir
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Black Fork searched for any evidence in homicide of Kurtis Harstine
