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Person of Interest to Be Charged in Connection with Body Found Along Ohio River
By: Sarah Hawley | Athens Messenger staff reporter
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A person of interest will be charged Tuesday following the discovery of the body of a missing teen from West Virginia, found along the banks of the Ohio River in Meigs County on Saturday.
The body has been identified as Erica Brown, 16, of Charleston in Kanawha County, West Virginia, according to Meigs County Sheriff Keith Wood. She had been missing since mid-August.
Wood said on Monday afternoon that charges would be filed Tuesday against Ernest M. Roach, 36, of Mile Hill Road, Racine, in connection with the death of Brown after her body was discovered near Portland.
Roach may face charges including murder for allegedly causing the death of Brown, according to the sheriff. It is not known at this time what additional charges he may face in Meigs County or other areas.
Roach is being held in the South Central Regional Jail in Charleston. It is unclear when he will appear in Meigs County Court on the charges or if he will waive extradition.
Brown’s body was found around 11 a.m. on Saturday, reportedly wrapped in a tarp which also contained a cinderblock.
Wood said the body had been identified by DNA with the assistance of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification. The cause of death has not been determined pending autopsy.
The Meigs County Sheriff’s Office has been working with the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in the case as well as a U.S. Attorney based in Charleston, West Virginia.