CHILLICOTHE, Ohio —
Investigators have ruled the death of a man who was found dead inside his burning home last fall as a homicide.
The fire occurred on October 16, 2011 at the home of Harry Smith on state Route 772 south of Chillicothe.
The Ross County coroner’s office said Smith was found inside the home with injuries to his head, and that several fires had been set in the home.
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The coroner ruled that the cause of death was blunt force trauma, and the manner of death was a homicide.
“Over the past eight months, we have worked diligently to do the right thing, to get everything right so that law enforcement has the best possible chance to bring those who committed this crime to justice,” said Ross County Coroner John Gabis, M.D.
But Jerry Smith, Harry’s son said, “We are very frustrated. That’s why we ended up hiring private investigators.”
When asked if there were delayed gathering the evidence, chief investigator for the Ross County coroner Mike Ratliff said, “I really can’t speak to that. The case was coordinated between the Ross County Sheriff’s office, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the State Fire Marshal’s office sharing information. Smith’s case has never been on the backburner and has been investigated since day one.
“We understand this has been a very difficult time for [the family.] We are sorry our investigation and the manner it had to be done added to their frustration and stress,” Ratliff said.
“We’ve never been called by officials and said we are working on it,” said Jerry Smith. “We’ve just basically been left in the dark.”
Smith said he learned his father’s case was declared a homicide through the media.
“Harry Smith was bound, struck in the head, robbed of personal items and his residence was then set on fire,” he said.
The investigation is now in the hands of the Ross County Sheriff’s Office.