Hudson man whose parents died in 2016 murder-suicide found dead in snow
A family who suffered an unimaginable tragedy six years ago has suffered another loss after a 24-year-old man left a Medina County bar, walked off into the snow and died.
Luke Bice, 24, of Hudson, was found facedown in the snow Jan. 29 behind an empty house in Sharon Township. He had walked about 2½ miles east on Medina Road from Thirsty Cowboys, where he had last been seen after the establishment closed around 2 a.m. He was within a half-mile of the Sheetz gas station on Ridge Road.
Medina County Sheriff's Capt. Kevin Ross said Bice was found in the morning behind an unoccupied home by the property owner, who he said could immediately tell Bice was not breathing.
"He wasn't dressed for the weather, he didn't have a coat on. He had a flannel shirt," Ross said, adding Bice was wearing athletic shoes rather than boots.
The temperature that night was in the teens and the ground remained covered with snow that had fallen about 10 days earlier.
The Medina County Coroner's Office said a ruling on the cause and manner of Bice's death remains pending.
Tragedy strikes family in 2016
His half brother, Steve Bice, said Luke and two other half brothers had lived with Steve and his wife, Chelstine, for years since a 2016 murder-suicide that left Luke's parents dead. He said Luke had recently been living in a motel in Hudson and was employed at Amazon.
"He wasn't a drinker at all, really," Steve said. "My father was an alcoholic, so we don't drink. That whole kind of thing scares us."
More: Police say Hudson woman was concerned about safety for months before she died in murder-suicide
After months of domestic turbulence, their father separated from the family. Luke and two other brothers were called by their father, 53-year-old Stephen Bice, to the Fun 'n' Stuff entertainment center in Macedonia on March 21, 2016.
The boys — including Luke, who was 18, and his 16- and 13-year-old brothers — told police they left at 11:35 a.m. for the center and waited there awhile, but their father never arrived.
Instead of meeting them at the amusement park, the father went to their home and killed their mother, Kristi, then shot himself.
Police reported it appeared Stephen Bice had forced his way into the Ravenna Road home and fired several shots into Kristi’s abdomen. She collapsed before he shot her in the head. At some point, he also shot the family’s Great Dane, who survived, police said, and then he turned the gun on himself.
Luke was the first one to discover the bodies.
A rare night out for Luke Bice
Steve Bice said Luke had been working at the Amazon facility for about 18 months when a relationship he had with a co-worker went bad.
"He was dating a girl that he worked with and she decided to talk around about their situation or whatever it was, so he was beside himself," Steve said. "He said, 'What do I do?'
"I said, 'Well, you just go to work every day and do what you're supposed to do and if your buddies will let you, go out with them and check the temperature of the waters like most people do and see where you stand with your peers.
"That's what I imagine he was doing because he doesn't go out drinking or anything like that. That was the first time that he's ever hung out with the people that he was with.
"They left him there, and he froze to death ... that was the first time they hung out with Luke outside of work," he said.
Steve said he was so angry about his brother's death that he walked the same route down Medina Road himself — a 45-minute trip during daylight hours.
"I just wanted to see how far away it was. I wanted to see if anyone would stop for me —and they didn't," he said. "Why wouldn't anyone stop? It's 3 in the morning, and it's 18 degrees? Why wouldn't anyone ask if he needs help?"
Sheriff's deputies were called to the scene by the owner of a home where Luke Bice's body was found at the 1500 block of Medina Road next to the Avalon RV Center.
Ross said he responded to the scene, where deputies identified Bice and transferred his body to the coroner's office. Ross said he has not seen another such fatality due to exposure during his career.
"He was at the bar, a couple of friends offered to give him a ride to Akron," Ross said. "He said no, that he was going to get an Uber ... obviously he didn't get an Uber and he started walking."
Steve Bice, who is studying to become an aircraft engine maintenance technician, said the family has few resources to cover the expense of his brother's funeral.
The family has set up a GoFundMe.com account, seeking help with funeral expenses. As of Wednesday, the account had raised almost $8,000 of its $10,000 goal.
Freezing temperatures can be fatal
Steve said he wants people to be aware that subfreezing temperatures can be fatal, describing how he was told his brother spent his last moments "burrowing" in an attempt to find warmth.
"Your body is just trying to do whatever it can to make you live. When they found him, he was frostbit all the way from his knees to his ankles from being on the ground and his fingernails were ripped off and he was scratched up from being in the briar bushes. His knuckles and his hands were destroyed from digging with his fingers."
He said police told him the people his brother had been with that night are not legally responsible for his death.
"There's no obligation for you to ensure for everybody's safety at a bar in the state of Ohio ... I'm struggling with what accountability there is," he said. "Why didn't he call me? Why didn't he go to Sheetz?"
Arrangements are being handled by Carlson Funeral Home at 3477 Medina Road. Visitation is from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, with services from 2 to 2:30 p.m.
Eric Marotta can be reached at 330-541-9433, or emarotta@recordpub.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarottaEric.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hudson man who tried to walk home from Medina bar found dead in snow
