A 52-year-old woman whose last known address was on Mayfair Avenue in Cheviot died on September 9, and now investigators are asking the public for help finding anyone who knew her. The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office says it is searching for relatives or friends of Melissa Johnson, who was identified as a Cincinnati woman, and has put out a public appeal for information.
According to WKRC, Johnson’s last known address was on Mayfair Avenue in Cheviot, the compact West Side suburb where she died. Anyone with information about her relatives or friends is asked to contact Chief Investigator Maria Stewart at 513-946-8700, the outlet reports.
A Familiar Appeal for the Coroner’s Office
A Familiar Appeal for the Coroner’s Office The coroner’s office has issued a public appeal seeking relatives or friends for Johnson. Information is directed to Chief Investigator Maria Stewart at 513-946-8700.
Public notices asking for help locating next of kin can serve as a way for the coroner’s office to seek information.
What Ohio Law Requires
The public search is not optional under state law. Ohio Revised Code Section 313.14 legally mandates that county coroners make a diligent effort to ascertain the next of kin, other relatives, or friends of any deceased person who comes under the coroner’s jurisdiction, according to Ohio law. If no one comes forward to collect a decedent’s belongings, the same statute requires the coroner to take custody of cash and personal effects and, when the county paid the burial cost, sell valuable non-firearm personal effects at public auction within eighteen months after burial, with proceeds deposited into the county treasury…