Body found in Ohio River in April 2023 just identified as Wilkins teen
Authorities have identified the body found in April 2023 along the Ohio River some 60 miles from Pittsburgh as a Wilkins Township teenager who had been reported missing in February 2023, according to Tribune-Review news partner WTAE-TV.
The body of the missing teenager, JayShawn Fountain, 17, was found along the shores of the Ohio River in Wellsville, on April 5, 2023.
A spokesman for the Wellsville Police Department said told the Tribune-Review on Friday that no information on the case was available until Monday.
Police on Friday did not reveal how authorities were able to positively identify Fountain as the person whose body was found along the river.
The police department said on its Facebook page on April 7, 2023, that the body that washed ashore, was taken to the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office in Cleveland. Authorities originally said the African-American was between 30- to 40-years old.
Authorities said that they were not able to identify the body through DNA or fingerprints.
Wilkins Township police said at the time he went missing that his duffel bag was found in Wilkinsburg.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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