AKRON, Ohio — Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two men whose bodies were found in the woods Friday morning in Akron and a third male body that was found in Copley. All three were shot, authorities said.
A man in a U-Haul spotted the bodies in Akron around 8:35 a.m. off Cordova Avenue near Redbush Road and then alerted authorities, police said.
The men were bound and gagged, police confirm. One person was found face up and the other was found face down.
According to Copley Police Chief Michael Mier, a third body was found in a ditch in the 2100 block of Wright Road in Copley around 8:50 a.m.
Investigators said the circumstances are very similar, as that body was also found bound and gagged. Police are working under the assumption that the two scenes are connected.
The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office said all three men had been shot in the head. The identities of the three men are unknown at this time. Authorities are working to identify them to notify their next of kin. The deaths were ruled homicides.
Police do not believe there is a threat to the public.
"We believe that the general public was never in any danger and is not in danger at this point in time," Mier said.
Ron Shuler, a resident who lives near Cordova Avenue, said it's common for people to dump trash and tires in the wooded area, which is near an I-77 noise barrier, but never in his wildest dreams did he imagine someone would dispose of bodies there.
"We live in a quiet neighborhood and I hate to sound like everybody else, you always say it don't happen here, but it's everywhere," he said.
No further details have been provided. Police are asking anyone in the area who might have captured camera footage of the incident or heard anything to contact Akron police at 330-375-2552.
News 5 will update this story as more information becomes available.
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