There is an apparent connection between the attempted suicide of an individual on the Grant Bridge in Portsmouth on Saturday and the discovery of a lifeless body inside a Cadillac shortly thereafter. This has left the community grappling with unanswered questions.
Is there a connection? SCDN investigates what we know so far.
A distressed 911 call came in early Saturday morning regarding an individual who jumped off Grant Bridge in Portsmouth and plunged into the water.
Despite the fall, the man survived. Individuals from the Shawnee Boat Club immediately provided assistance.
When emergency workers arrived at the scene, they secured the individual and carefully assessed his condition. Despite the challenging environment of mud and debris, a team of rescuers successfully extricated and transferred the patient to a waiting ambulance.
The patient was transported to SOMC, where further medical attention could be provided.
Here are the radio communications from emergency workers.
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Police officers returned to their duties and pulled over a couple of vehicles. Firefighters and medical personnel returned to the firehouse. For the next 30 minutes, everything returned to normal. Suddenly, the situation changed dramatically.
The dispatcher requested that a welfare check be conducted not at a residence but at a Cadillac parked at the Portsmouth Kroger. The dispatcher requested a call from the responding officers to obtain further information stating this was regarding the previous call.
The call was made to dispatch for additional information. The first officer (Unit 188) to observe the Cadillac remarked that there was nobody in or around the vehicle. Then, the officer who had spoken on the phone with dispatch (Unit 212) called the first responding unit. Within moments of that call, Unit 188 called for an urgent medical response.
A detective was called to the scene. The police wanted to verify that the man was still at SOMC. Following this confirmation, two units were dispatched to interview the subject in greater detail.
Here are the radio communications from emergency workers.
To get this powerful online tool, use this link https://tinyurl.com/SCDNSCANNER
There was a noticeable slowdown in radio traffic from this point on. Fire and medical crews returned to the firehouse. They did not appear to have transported anyone from Kroger to SOMC.
At Daybreak, two crime scene units from the Ohio Bureau of Investigation (BCI) arrived in town. One unit was reported to have gone to Kroger, and the other unit to New Boston. That truck is shown in the image below.
Portsmouth Police did not issue a press release over the weekend. SCDN contacted Portsmouth Police Chief Debby Brewer early Monday morning. In response, we were told, “We are neither going to confirm nor deny anything regarding this case at this time. This is a very sensitive case and an ongoing investigation”. Chief Brewer indicated that a press release would be forthcoming, but did not specify when.
Public information is limited at this point. For example, details related to the calls were redacted in the daily police logs we also requested due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Timeline Summary
- A call came into 911 on Saturday morning about a person jumping off the Grant Bridge and plunging into the water
- The man survived the leap, and members of the Shawnee Boat Club provided Assistance
- Emergency workers treated the man and transported him to the hospital via ambulance
- PPD Dispatch requested a welfare check on a person inside a Cadillac parked at the Portsmouth Kroger
- Dispatch requested a call from the officers who responded to the scene connecting it to their previous call
- Initially, officers did not see a person in distress, but then they sent out a call for an urgent medical response
- A detective was dispatched to the scene at Kroger
- Two crime scene units from Ohio BCI arrived in Portsmouth. One unit was spotted at Kroger, and the other was seen in New Boston
- There has been no official press release from PPD
Conclusion
From the information on scanner traffic and reports from eyewitnesses and insiders, it appears there may have been a death in New Boston, possibly a homicide. The body was then, seemingly, placed in the trunk of a car and driven to Kroger. The driver then appears to have walked to the Grant Bridge and jumped.
We have no official confirmation from law enforcement as to the victim, the circumstances surrounding any deaths, or the identity of the jumper.
Look for updates to this story as we await a formal statement from Portsmouth Police.