Found Deceased OH - Joey LaBute, 26, Columbus, 4 March 2016 #2

[jjenny]

I thought it was stated that they thought he hadn't been dead for the whole three weeks, and had only died recently.

I haven't seen anything like that stated anywhere.

 

[eric136]

I have to agree with you, I really think if he had been floating down a river for 3 weeks someone would have seen him before his body was recovered....plus with all of his clothing still in tact and the body in "good" shape- I'm thinking he didn't move very far from where he was dumped.

The police thought he was in good shape, but the Coroner did not think he was in good shape. They needed dental records to identify him.

 

[eric136]

That park is pretty big and there are a few paths that lead close to the river, that are located above the peninsula. Maybe him and whoever were strolling through the park when whatever incident happened, and maybe he was placed in the river from one of those paths that are close to the water. The current isn't very fast in Scioto and he could have been under for a week or so before slowly floating over to the other side of the river and down river a little to where it bends, then got hung up on debris close to the edge. If you watch the news video where they're retrieving the body from the water and putting in the boat; they are on the other side of the river. There is a boat ramp that's old, nearly overgrown, and never used within feet of where he was removed. You can see in the video where a man is standing on that ramp while they're removing the body to place into the boat. Then the boat that retrieved him is heading down river, around the peninsula, and over to the boat ramp where the news reporters are standing.

Where is the news video ?

 

[eric136]

I thought it was stated that they thought he hadn't been dead for the whole three weeks, and had only died recently.

Where is that info found ? The coroner said that he was dead for 3 weeks, death was prior to entering water, & decompositon was bad so dental records were needed to identify him.

 

[anonypotomous]

Where is that info found ? The coroner said that he was dead for 3 weeks, death was prior to entering water, & decompositon was bad so dental records were needed to identify him.

Yes, that's what I read as well.

 

[MerryB]

I'd like to offer a different interpretation of the term "partially submerged." I do not think that this necessarily means JL was weighted down or "hidden" by logs, debris, etc.
If a person drowns, water takes the place of air in the lungs, causing the body to become heavier and sink. They will eventually rise to the surface once gasses build up inside the body as part of the decomposition process. As the body fills will gas, it begins to float.
If there was no air in his lungs at the time JL was put in the water, as was suggested by the coroner, he would not float, but would sink (there would be no air or gas to keep him afloat). He would sink upon hitting the water, and would most likely become stuck in the mud and silt in the bottom of the riverbed until the decomposition process progressed enough to produce enough gas in his body to bring him to the surface.
Therefore, I don't think he would be floating down the river for 3 weeks. I think when placed in the water, he would sink and stay submerged (hidden) for a good amount of time. The warmer the water, the faster the decomposition rate. The beginning of March was quite cold and although temperatures varied throughout the month, it gradually began to warm as the month progressed. I think after several weeks JL rose to the surface, or began to, hence the term "partially submerged." I think he had begun to float, probably not too far from where he had intially been placed.

 

[MerryB]

Wondering what this weird incident was. But, this is a public forum, so secrecy is understood.

Would love to know, too.

 

[Tiggerford]

I understand this....I took LE's "in good shape" to mean more of a everything was in tact and so on. Which might not be the case if he had in fact been traveling a far distance in the river. While I think he had indeed been dumped in the water the night he passed...I don't think he was placed somewhere far from where he was found.. Sorry if I'm not making much sense, I have a cold that's clouding my thoughts :-/

 

[Rstlne]

He didn't park in the Short North. He parked in a complex parking lot in Victorian Village where he used to live. He apparently parked there whenever he came in to Columbus to hang out. From first hand experience, the parking lot in that particular complex always has a few spots open. Most people who live there don't drive up to the Short North because it's a 15 minute walk. No point in driving when you already live so close. So on weekends, most people don't even move their cars unless they're going further away. So it really could have been moved and put in the same spot after anything happened. Especially the spot where he was supposed to have parked that night. It was very close to a set of dumpsters in the lot. Most people who live there do not park too close to the dumpsters for some reason. It's kinda weird.

There's no assigned parking there... Only permit only... And 15 min walk to the short north? Maybe for the slowest walker in history.. LoL... Where did you hear/see about him parking close to the dumpster because I heard this is information CPD did release and told the family to not repeat? LINK please!

 

[Margo/Mom]

I believe the coroner's finding that precluded drowning was an absense of water in the lungs. A drowning victim gasps for air, but takes in water--filling the lungs. Lungs are full of small cavities that hold air. Even when breathing stops the retain some air--like a sponge. So, there would be some initial buoyancy--balanced by bones, muscle mass and the like.

I wonder about the Audubon Park. Sorta new, used to be the site of the police impound lot. Not sure how "parky" it is, or what the actual water access is like. The aerial looks like there might be a fair amout of vegetation--enough to block access? How far out into the water would one have to be either launch or sink a body? Would dumping from a bridge be more likely?

 

[VTX88]

I understand this....I took LE's "in good shape" to mean more of a everything was in tact and so on. Which might not be the case if he had in fact been traveling a far distance in the river. While I think he had indeed been dumped in the water the night he passed...I don't think he was placed somewhere far from where he was found.. Sorry if I'm not making much sense, I have a cold that's clouding my thoughts :-/

I think this also.

 

[Rstlne]

I notified CPD of an weird incident that happened shortly after he went missing. It happened in the area where his car was parked. But when I told them about what happened, they asked about cameras at the complex and cameras around the area that may have seen Joey or the person involved in this weird incident. I let them know that CVS and Giant Eagle have cameras all around the inside and outside of the building as well as the other places in that shopping center. They told me that they were going to try to pull footage from them. Hopefully they found something that may be of use to them.

It would be nice if something like Project Nola was here in Columbus.

What was the weird incident, and what made you think it was associated with Joey's disappearance?

 

[VTX88]

Where is the news video ?

The link to that news report is in one of my previous posts with the map with pushpin. Look for it a few pages back.

 

[VTX88]

I notified CPD of an weird incident that happened shortly after he went missing. It happened in the area where his car was parked. But when I told them about what happened, they asked about cameras at the complex and cameras around the area that may have seen Joey or the person involved in this weird incident. I let them know that CVS and Giant Eagle have cameras all around the inside and outside of the building as well as the other places in that shopping center. They told me that they were going to try to pull footage from them. Hopefully they found something that may be of use to them.

It would be nice if something like Project Nola was here in Columbus.

What's the weird incident that happened? We all want to know. Do tell.

 

[anonypotomous]

What's the weird incident that happened? We all want to know. Do tell.

It's true!

 

[Rstlne]

I believe the coroner's finding that precluded drowning was an absense of water in the lungs. A drowning victim gasps for air, but takes in water--filling the lungs. Lungs are full of small cavities that hold air. Even when breathing stops the retain some air--like a sponge. So, there would be some initial buoyancy--balanced by bones, muscle mass and the like.

I wonder about the Audubon Park. Sorta new, used to be the site of the police impound lot. Not sure how "parky" it is, or what the actual water access is like. The aerial looks like there might be a fair amout of vegetation--enough to block access? How far out into the water would one have to be either launch or sink a body? Would dumping from a bridge be more likely?

Someone would have to be real brazen to go into the Audubon after dusk. It's a dead end road with only one way in and one way out, very few street lights simply because the park is suppose to be closed at dusk. Also the park rangers office is the old police impound building across from the entrance to the boat launch driveway... However, like I mentioned in a previous post, I went to lay flowers in the water on Sunday afternoon and then took my dogs to the dog park which is at the very end of the road leading into the park. At the very end of "Whittier" there's a building up there that is sponsored by some Insurance company, at first driving by I thought it was either a nature center or perhaps a restaurant, but I did notice that they had several security camera on the outside of the building, the ones that are a black dome type of camera, so I'm sure those camera can pick up and activity after hours of the park closure.

 

[VTX88]

Where is the news video ?

I clicked on the news video link I had in the earlier pushpin map post, and it now redirects you to a newer updated new video. I'll have to search online for the original news video.

 

[anonypotomous]

Someone would have to be real brazen to go into the Audubon after dusk. It's a dead end road with only one way in and one way out, very few street lights simply because the park is suppose to be closed at dusk. Also the park rangers office is the old police impound building across from the entrance to the boat launch driveway... However, like I mentioned in a previous post, I went to lay flowers in the water on Sunday afternoon and then took my dogs to the dog park which is at the very end of the road leading into the park. At the very end of "Whittier" there's a building up there that is sponsored by some Insurance company, at first driving by I thought it was either a nature center or perhaps a restaurant, but I did notice that they had several security camera on the outside of the building, the ones that are a black dome type of camera, so I'm sure those camera can pick up and activity after hours of the park closure.

That was so kind of you to lay flowers in the water ❤️❤️

 

[tarabull]

Someone would have to be real brazen to go into the Audubon after dusk. It's a dead end road with only one way in and one way out, very few street lights simply because the park is suppose to be closed at dusk. Also the park rangers office is the old police impound building across from the entrance to the boat launch driveway... However, like I mentioned in a previous post, I went to lay flowers in the water on Sunday afternoon and then took my dogs to the dog park which is at the very end of the road leading into the park. At the very end of "Whittier" there's a building up there that is sponsored by some Insurance company, at first driving by I thought it was either a nature center or perhaps a restaurant, but I did notice that they had several security camera on the outside of the building, the ones that are a black dome type of camera, so I'm sure those camera can pick up and activity after hours of the park closure.

Do you happen to know the outcome of this man's body found (by the boat ramp) case from April 2011??

http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2011/04/14/story-columbus-body-found-whittier-boat-ramp.html

 

[Rstlne]

That was so kind of you to lay flowers in the water ❤️❤️

Thanks, Joey was such a kind hearted soul and he didn't deserve to have his life cut so short. This whole situation has effected me to my core, I find it absolutely consumes my thoughts all day long. I need answers, and I refuse to allow Joey to become the next Brian Shaffer 10 years later with no answers or arrests. I pray everyday we come closer to some answers.