Ohio prison escapee's body believed to be found in Ohio River

The Columbus Dispatch
Updated ·2 min read
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Authorities said Bradley Gillespie, who escaped from Allen/Oakwood Correctional Facility, was found dead in the Ohio River.
Authorities said Bradley Gillespie, who escaped from Allen/Oakwood Correctional Facility, was found dead in the Ohio River.

One of two men who escaped a prison in northwest Ohio last Tuesday after hiding in a trash bin has been found dead in the Ohio River, according to Kentucky police.

Bradley Gillespie, 50, was reported missing alongside 47-year-old James Lee from the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima.

According to Sean McKinney, chief of the police department in Henderson, Kentucky, they received a call for a body in the river near the last-known location of Gillespie.

Police: Ohio prison escapee's body pulled from river in Henderson, Kentucky

"A preliminary investigation indicates we recovered the body of Bradley Gillespie from the river," McKinney said during a press conference. He added an autopsy will be performed on Tuesday.

He added that while the results of the investigation remain preliminary, "Everything that we have seen and done indicates this would be Mr. Gillespie at this point."

McKinney said they were unsure how long Gillespie was in the water, but early signs show it was consistent with a body that was in the water four to five days.

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has placed five employees on administrative leave during the internal investigation: Maj. Carl Bendross and Corrections Officers Derrick Coil, Tre'mon Glenn-Crawford, Lain Patterson and Taylor Robey.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is conducting a criminal investigation into how Bradley Gillespie and James M. Lee escaped from the Allen/Oakwood Correctional Institution near Lima.

Lee was captured in Henderson, Kentucky on Wednesday.

McKinney said there were 40-plus people helping in the search and he doesn't believe any more could have been done to find Gillespie alive. He said in his 26-year law enforcement career, the past five days have been the longest.

McKinney said while he is glad to have closure to the situation, "I don't feel it is appropriate to celebrate death of any life at this time."

Gillespie, who was convicted of two murders in Paulding County, was missing until Sunday. In a previously videotaped message, his daughter, Shayde Gillespie, pleaded with him to turn himself in to authorities.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio prison escapee's body found in Ohio River