murder mystery – Tuscarawas County Stories

Carbon Monoxide Mystery: The Death of Harvey E. Decker

AI generated image depicting Harvey Decker unconscious in his car, 2025. (Source: ImageFX)

Harvey E. Decker’s life ended in mystery, his death and disputed will sparking unanswered questions. Content warning: This post contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Click here for resources to find help forContinue reading “Carbon Monoxide Mystery: The Death of Harvey E. Decker”

Indicted but Never Convicted: The Murder of Antonio Di Simone

AI generated image depicting the victim and suspects walking down the road together in November 1919, 2025. (Source: ImageFX)

In 1919, Italian immigrant Antonio Di Simone was murdered near Dennison, Ohio—two suspects were arrested, but justice never came. I have chosen to use the surname Di Simone as opposed to the others that appear in the historical record. It was the surname under which Antonio Di Simone was buried by his friends and itContinue reading “Indicted but Never Convicted: The Murder of Antonio Di Simone”

Murder on the Wheeling & Lake Erie

AI generated image depicting the scene of Tony Gerriod lying on the ground outside the boxcar where he was killed in September 1911, 2025. (Source: ImageFX)

The 1911 murder of Tony Gerriod remains a mystery in Tuscarawas County history. Tony Gerriod’s surname was spelled a number of ways in the newspaper including Geraid and Gerald. I have chosen the spelling that appeared on the only legal document associated with him, his death certificate. His nationality is also vague, sometimes reported asContinue reading “Murder on the Wheeling & Lake Erie”

The Cistern Secret: The 1919 Clara Shroyer Case

AI generated image depicting the Bates gardener and a New Philadelphia, Ohio policeman discovering a crying infant at the bottom of a cistern, 2025. (Source: Google ImageFX)

A shocking discovery in a city cistern would unravel the dark, hidden chapter of young woman’s short life. Clara Madge Shroyer (1897–1930) was born in Mineral City, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, the daughter of Henry Shroyer (1872–1930), a local farm laborer, and his wife, Selena Emma Fisher Shroyer (1876–1937). She grew up in a rural farmingContinue reading “The Cistern Secret: The 1919 Clara Shroyer Case”

Unindicted: The 1935 Death of Clarence Garabrandt

AI generated image depicting the scene at the Stanley home the night of November 9, 1935. (Source: Microsoft Designer)

A Dennison man’s life ends in mystery after a fatal punch. Was it murder or a tragic twist of fate? Clarence Garabrandt (1902-1935) was born in the village of Barnhill, nestled in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. The son of Ezra Garabrandt (1868-1923) and Lydia Smitely (1871-1951), Clarence grew up in a family familiar with hard labor.Continue reading “Unindicted: The 1935 Death of Clarence Garabrandt”

Murder of John Constantino: A Tuscarawas County Cold Case

AI generated image of a one-room schoolhouse in rural Ohio in 1929. (Source: Microsoft Designer)

A new husband and hardworking immigrant, John Constantino vanished on a quiet February night in 1929—only to be found days later, murdered and frozen near a schoolhouse, his killing still a mystery nearly a century later. Giovanni “John” Constantino (1903–1929) was born in Gioiosa Marea, Sicily, to Filippo Constantino and Rosa Ramona. Seeking a newContinue reading “Murder of John Constantino: A Tuscarawas County Cold Case”

The Widow’s Story: The Death of Cloyce D. Jones, Conclusion

AI generated image of a policeman and a coroner looking into a bathroom door in a small home in Ohio in 1929. We can not see what they are looking at but they are having a serious conversation about what is in the bathroom. In the background a woman in her thirties is being consoled by a neighbor.

Cloyce Densel Jones’s death left behind more questions than answers and a trail of unsettling contradictions. Read Part One Content warning: This post contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Click here for resourcesContinue reading “The Widow’s Story: The Death of Cloyce D. Jones, Conclusion”

The Widow’s Story: The Death of Cloyce D. Jones, Part One

AI generated image depicting Mrs. Mary Jones in her bathroom in Uhrichsville, 2025.

The suspicious death of a railroad laborer in Uhrichsville in 1929 sent shock waves through his close-knit neighborhood. Content warning: This post contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Click here for resources toContinue reading “The Widow’s Story: The Death of Cloyce D. Jones, Part One”

In the Shadow of Zoar: The 1947 Murder of John Myers, Conclusion

Closed circuit image captured during Delbert Sizemore's (in sunglasses) last bank robbery in May 1974. (Source: newspapers.com)

The murder of John Myers ended his life, but not his legacy. Meanwhile, the question of who murdered him remained unknown. Click here to read part six. John Myers, the man senselessly murdered outside a tavern in Zoar in November 1947, was on his way home to his wife and daughter in Bolivar, Ohio. AContinue reading “In the Shadow of Zoar: The 1947 Murder of John Myers, Conclusion”

In the Shadow of Zoar: The 1947 Murder of John Myers, Part Six

AI generated image depicting a suspect being interrogated by two law enforcement officers in 1947. (Source: Microsoft Designer)

Delbert Sizemore’s life of crime—spanning armed robberies, violent assaults, and state-hopping schemes, possibly included the 1947 murder of John Myers where his own words and actions pointed to his guilt. Click here to read part five. Delbert Sizemore was in and out of prison from at least the age of 18, and possibly even earlierContinue reading “In the Shadow of Zoar: The 1947 Murder of John Myers, Part Six”