Back in 2016, human remains were found, near the intersection of U.S. 127 and Coldwater Creek Road. Now, four years later, authorities can link a name to the bones found at the site.
The Mercer County Sheriff's Office had a basic idea of the victim's profile, but not their identity, after having the remains tested.
It wasn't until January of this year that an analyst with Ohio BCI found some similarities between this case and a missing persons case in Columbus. The parents of that missing person provided DNA, and it was determined that the bones found in Celina were in fact those of 22-year-old Ryan Zimmerman, originally from Corbin, KY, who had been reported missing since November of 2015.
"When he was in Columbus, he did speak to his parents from time to time so it was unusual after September when he quit talking to them or returning phone calls," said Sheriff Jeff Grey. "Ryan’s father got a certified letter that the car that Ryan was driving was impounded, and he needed to make arrangements to get it back, and that’s when the father decided to report it to the Columbus Police Department when they could not locate him."
There are a lot of unknowns still in this case, but those with the sheriff's office are giving a call to action to the public at large - to spread the word about this case, share pictures, and hopefully help find some answers.
"If everyone shares those pictures, it’ll get out beyond our community, and it may help us get some information," said Sheriff Grey. "We’re not done with this case; we’re going to work this hard and try to find out who did this."
If you have any information about this case, you're asked to call detectives directly at (419) 506-1450, or the sheriff's office tip line at (567) 890-TIPS (8477).
