Robert F. Ebright, 56, 7-20-07 Pataskala, OH (body unearthed 3-7-09)

[annalyzer]

http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/03/07/bodyfound.html?sid=101

Man's body found buried behind vacant house

Saturday, March 7, 2009 6:58 PM
By SUZANNE HOHOLIK

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The Licking County Sheriff's Department found a man's body buried behind a vacant house on Lancaster Road south of Granville today.

The body is believed to be Robert F. Ebright, a man Sheriff Randy Thorp said has been missing since July 20, 2007.

Thorp said detectives went to San Antonio this past week to interview an acquaintance of a person of interest in the case. The acquaintance gave them information on where to find the body.

"Based on specific information gathered, we excavated a site to the rear of the residence and did recover a body this afternoon," Thorp said.

The San Antonio acquaintance is not suspected of wrongdoing. Thorp would not identify the person of interest.

Ebright was 56 years old when he went missing from Pataskala. Thorp said his family has been notified.

An autopsy will be performed tomorrow.

Thorp said deputies would remain on the scene of the vacant house - 5809 Lancaster Road - tonight and tomorrow.

[sarahhod]

Sheriff: Body found; might be man missing since 2007

By RYAN COOK • Local News Editor • March 7, 2009


NEWARK — Authorities think they have located the body of a Licking County man missing for more than a year, and they suspect foul play.

Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp said detectives executed a search warrant at 5809 Lancaster Road, on Ohio 37 south of Granville, around 10 a.m. Saturday. After excavating behind the home, authorities recovered a body, Thorp said.

Watkins Road resident Robert Ebright has been missing since July 20, 2007.

“We don’t have a positive ID at this point in time,” Thorp said. “However, with the information that we do have in hand, we do believe this victim to be Mr. Ebright, and we have notified his family as such.”

Thorp said Sheriff’s Office detectives spent the past week in Texas working with agencies in that area and obtained new information related to Ebright by interviewing several people.

“We do have a suspect, but it would be premature to release that suspect’s name at this point in time,” he said.

Thorp confirmed the suspect is incarcerated in Texas.

One of the last people to be seen with Ebright is in a Texas prison, The Advocate reported in June. At the time, sheriff’s office Detective Brock Harmon classified that man as a person of interest in the Ebright case.

Thorp said the body has been taken to the Licking County Coroner’s Office, where an autopsy will be performed Sunday. He said detectives will continue their work at the Lancaster Road address today and Sunday, but he declined to release additional information Saturday.

“Obviously, we had pretty specific information relative to the address on Lancaster Road and relative to where, perhaps, the victim’s body would be found,” Thorp said.

Relatives conducted a memorial service for Ebright in January 2008, cousin Ruth Fleming told The Advocate in June.

“If we could just know where he was,” she said at the time. “We would give anything to give him a proper burial.”


http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20090307/UPDATES01/90307007

[sarahhod]

Body Unearthed That Of Missing Pataskala Man
By Laurie Omness (lomness@wcmh.com)

Published: March 7, 2009

GRANVILLE, Ohio—
Excavating equipment guided by Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp Saturday opened what turned out to be the grave of a local man who has been missing since the summer of 2007.
Thorp told NBC 4’s Mike Bowersock that the body they found is that of Robert Ebright of Watkins Road south of Pataskala. The remains of the 56 year old man were found in the rear of a house at 5809 Lancaster Road. That residence had been occupied by a man who was the last person seen with Ebright, a man who disappeared soon after Ebright did.
George Gaona has been called a person of interest in the case. Authorities learned he was in custody in Texas on unrelated charges and have been questioning him about Ebright’s disappearance.
Sheriff Thorp did not discuss the cause of death, but said an autopsy would be performed Sunday. An investigation continues.
Relatives of Mr. Ebright felt he would not have voluntarily disappeared and held a memorial service for him in January.

http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/article/body_unearthed_that_of_missing_hebron_man/13601/

[annalyzer]

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2009/02/07/Body_Found_in_Hebron.html?sid=102

Body Found Could Be Missing Man

Saturday, March 7, 2009 11:30 PM

HEBRON, Ohio — Licking County Sheriff's detectives found a body buried at a home on Saturday morning.
Detectives believe the body unearthed at 5809 Lancaster Road is Robert Ebright.

Ebright was reported missing in July 2007.

Detectives said new information led them to Texas to conduct interviews. They did not list who they spoke with, but said they learned the precise location where to find the body.

The last person who saw Ebright alive was George Gaona, who is now in a Texas prison on an unrelated crime,10TV's Glenn McEntyre reported.

The body was found on a property owned by Gaona's brother, McEntyre reported.

A neighbor remembers seeing Gaona and Ebright together.

"Two days after that, Robert came up missing," said Robert Orr, a neighbor. "George was seen the night before with a bobcat digging, and the next day after that, he was gone."

Orr said Ganoa acted strange after Ebright disappeared.

Detectives call Gaona a person of interest in the case.

An autopsy was scheduled to be performed on the body on Sunday.

[annalyzer]

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/03/08/BodyFound.ART_ART_03-08-09_B2_CFD5DF2.html?sid=101

Man's body found buried in yard
56-year-old last seen in July 2007; autopsy planned

Sunday, March 8, 2009 3:59 AM
By Suzanne Hoholik

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/wwwexportcontent/sites/dispatch/images/mar/0308_BODY_FOUND_mn_03-08-09_B2_7VD5FKQ.jpg
Robert F. Ebright

A body deputies think is Robert F. Ebright of Pataskala was found yesterday in a grave behind a vacant house south of Granville, the Licking County sheriff said.

The 56-year-old was last seen alive on July 20, 2007.

Sheriff Randy Thorp said deputies found Ebright's body buried in a 3- to 4-foot-deep grave behind a vacant house on Lancaster Road, also known as Rt. 37.

"We're pretty comfortable with the fact that this victim is Mr. Ebright, but we still have the autopsy to go through and positively ID that it is him," Thorp said last night.

The autopsy is planned for today.

The sheriff confirmed that a person of interest in the case is George Gaona, who was the last person seen with Ebright. Gaona is serving time in a Texas prison, Thorp said. When Ebright was last seen, he and Gaona were driving together and Ebright had about $8,000 with him.

"He went missing, his family contacted our office, and we conducted a number of interviews and spoke to a lot of people in this case but couldn't come up with solid leads until now," Thorp said.

Detectives went to San Antonio last week to interview an acquaintance of Gaona's.

That person told them to search the backyard of a house at 5809 Lancaster Rd. Licking County auditor's records show the property is owned by Fred Gaona.

Thorp said Ebright's family has been notified. But Ebright's half-sister Anna Challen of Columbus said she learned that his body might have been found from television. She said detectives called her cousin.

"I really didn't know Bob real well; he was raised by our grandmother," she said. "We saw him on holidays and birthdays and not as often as we should have."

When she found out he was missing, she tried to find him. She wrote to Gaona in prison three times asking for information.

Challen said she had heard different stories about her half-brother's relationship with Gaona. Some people told her they were acquaintances; others said the pair planned to start a tree-trimming business.

Thorp said deputies would remain on the scene of the vacant house last night and today.

[annalyzer]

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2009/03/08/Body_Identified_as_Missing_Man.html?sid=102

Buried Body Identified As Missing Man

Sunday, March 8, 2009 6:48 PM

HEBRON, Ohio — The Licking County coroner's office on Sunday confirmed that a body found buried at a home was that of a missing man.

Sheriff's detectives found the body of Robert Ebright buried at 5809 Lancaster Road on Saturday morning, 10TV News reported.

Ebright was reported missing in July 2007.

Detectives said new information led them to Texas to conduct interviews.

They did not list who they spoke with, but said they learned the precise location where to find the body.

The last person who saw Ebright alive was George Gaona, who is now in a Texas prison on an unrelated crime,10TV's Glenn McEntyre reported.

The body was found on a property owned by Gaona's brother, McEntyre reported.

The coroner said Ebright died of a gunshot wound. A neighbor remembers seeing Gaona and Ebright together.

"Two days after that, Robert came up missing," said Robert Orr, a neighbor. "George was seen the night before with a bobcat digging, and the next day after that, he was gone."

Orr said Ganoa acted strange after Ebright disappeared.

Detectives call Gaona a person of interest in the case.

Orr hopes the family will find closure.

"I guess if anything good comes out of this, the family gets closure," Orr said, "And they can put him to rest and know in their mind that they have him home."

[grammybears]

I am so glad that Robert has been found. I am sure his family has had a hard time waiting all this time. I hope whoever killed him will pay the price.

jmoo

[sarahhod]

Autopsy confirms body to be missing Licking County man

Advocate staff report • March 8, 2009


NEWARK — A body of a Licking County man found on Saturday near Hebron was confirmed to be Robert F. Ebright, according to the Licking County Coroner’s Office, which performed the autopsy on Sunday.

Ebright, missing since July 20, 2007, died of a gun-shot wound, although investigator George Ridgeway couldn’t release more details Sunday evening.

The body was recovered at about 10 a.m. Saturday at 5809 Lancaster Road, near Hebron, just south of Granville, Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp said Saturday.

Sheriff’s office detectives had spent the previous week in Texas working with agencies to obtain new information related to Ebright, he said.

The suspect in the case is incarcerated in Texas, although Thorp said he couldn’t release the name yet.

One of the last people to be seen with Ebright is in a Texas prison, The Advocate reported in June 2008. At the time, sheriff's office Detective Brock Harmon classified that 48-year-old man as a person of interest in the Ebright case.

10TV reported the Lancaster Road property where the body was found is owned by the brother of the person of interest. Neighbor Scott Orr told 10TV he saw Ebright and the person of interest together at the property in July 2007, shortly before Ebright went missing.

Relatives conducted a memorial service for Ebright in January 2008, cousin Ruth Fleming told The Advocate in June.

“If we could just know where he was,” she said at the time. “We would give anything to give him a proper burial.”


http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20090308/UPDATES01/90308007/1052/COMMUNITIES02

[sarahhod]

Licking County body had been shot

Monday, March 9, 2009 10:20 AM

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

NEWARK, Ohio -- A man whose body was pulled from a grave at an abandoned Licking County house was shot to death, investigators say.
The victim is identified as Robert F. Ebright, 56, of rural Hebron, who was last seen alive on July 20, 2007, coroner's investigators say.
His body was found Saturday after deputies received information that led them to a house at 5809 Lancaster Rd., Sheriff Randy Thorp said.
The house is owned by the brother of a suspect in Ebright's death, the sheriff said. The suspect once lived at the house.
The suspect now is imprisoned in Texas for failing to register as a sex offender stemming from a 1987 sexual assault, records show.
The suspect was last seen with Ebright, who was carrying about $8,000 in cash when he disappeared, Thorp said.
Detectives traveled to the San Antonio area to talk with the suspect and other acquaintances and obtained information leading to the Licking County grave, the sheriff said.
Investigations spent yesterday combing the abandoned house, several outbuildings and several junk cars for clues in Ebright's death, Thorp said.


http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/03/09/ebright.html?sid=101

[sarahhod]

Sheriff Finds Missing Man’s Body; Coroner Rules It A Homicide
http://media.nbc4i.com/wcmh/img-story/images/uploads/lickingcountybodyfound030909.jpg

The Licking County coroner rules a once-missing man’s death as homicide Sunday.

By Laurie Omness (lomness@wcmh.com)

Published: March 7, 2009
HEBRON, Ohio—The Licking County coroner’s office confirmed that a body found buried at a home was that of a missing man and that his death was a homicide.
NBC 4 reported with updated FAST FACTS Monday.
Excavating equipment guided by Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp opened what turned out to be the grave of a local man who had been missing since the summer of 2007.
Thorp told NBC 4’s Mike Bowersock the body they found Saturday is that of Robert Ebright of Watkins Road, which is south of Pataskala.
The remains of the 56-year-old man were found in the rear of a house at 5809 Lancaster Road in Hebron.
George Gaona was the last person seen with Ebright, according to a neighbor.
The residence was occupied by Gaona’s brother.
Gaona has been called a person of interest in the case.
Authorities learned he was in custody in Texas on unrelated charges and have been questioning him about Ebright’s disappearance.
A coroner’s spokesman told NBC 4 Sunday that Ebright’s death was a homicide.
Ebright died as the result of a gunshot wound.
Ebright’s relatives said they thought Ebright would not have voluntarily disappeared and held a memorial service for him in January.


http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/crime/article/body_unearthed_that_of_missing_hebron_man/13601/

[sarahhod]

Family saddened by loss, relieved body was found

By RUSS ZIMMER • Advocate Reporter • March 9, 2009


NEWARK — When Robert Ebright’s body was unearthed Saturday, it stirred up mixed feelings for his family and raised more suspicion about one of the last men he was seen with.

Ruth Fleming told The Advocate last summer, nearly one year after her cousin had gone missing, that she feared he was dead but wanted his body recovered to give him a proper send-off. When she opened her door Saturday, Licking County Sheriff’s Office Detective Brock Harmon was there to tell her that now is possible.

A marker to sit next to his grandparents’ plots at a Blacklick cemetery was being engraved to read “1951-”, she told The Advocate on Monday.

“The headstone is being prepared now, so they’re just going to complete it with the date on there,” she said. “I’m happy we were able to do this for him.”

Ebright’s body was exhumed from a 3- to 4-foot deep makeshift grave in the rear of 5809 Lancaster Road, Hebron, on Saturday morning, sheriff’s office Capt. Dave Starling said. The Licking County Coroner’s Office said he died of a gunshot wound.

Dr. Jeff Lee, deputy coroner, said Monday that nothing was found during the autopsy to contradict a time of death originally believed to be sometime in summer 2007 shortly after his disappearance.

Harmon identified a 46-year-old Texas inmate as a person of interest in an interview with The Advocate last year. Sheriff Randy Thorp said Saturday his investigators have a suspect in the case who is incarcerated in Texas.

The listed owner of the property is the brother of the suspect, 10TV reported. Licking County Municipal Court records show the address is also the last listed residence of the suspect.

Neighbor Scott Orr told 10TV he saw Ebright and the suspect together at the property in July 2007, shortly before Ebright went missing.

The suspect will not be named by The Advocate unless he is charged with a crime.
According to a Nov. 30, 2007, U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release, the suspect was caught by border agents trying to illegally cross into Mexico. He was wanted by the Licking County Sheriff’s Office for failure of a sex offender to register — he was indicted on those charges last year — but was turned over to Bexar County, Texas, authorities for incarceration, the release states.

Detectives spent the past week in Texas working with agencies in that area and obtained new information related to Ebright by interviewing several people, Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp said Saturday.

Starling said his office received a tip that prompted them to head south to try to find answers. He declined to get specific about the investigation.

“We’re still working this case and to make a statement right now would be premature,” he said.

Fleming said she does not support the death penalty for the person who killed her brother but hopes justice will be served.

“If it does turn out that he is the one who did this … I hope that when he goes to court that life imprisonment wouldn’t be out of the picture,” she said.

Funeral arrangements are pending, Fleming said.


http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20090309/UPDATES01/90309029

[annalyzer]

Woman indicted for murder in Licking County man's death

NewarkAdvocate.com staff reports
May 5, 2009

NEWARK — A former Ohio woman now living in Texas has been indicted for murder in connection with the death of a man two years ago.

Sandra R. Holling, 45, of San Antonio, Texas, is charged with aggravated murder, murder, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse, all with firearm specifications, in connection with the death of Robert Franklin Ebright, 56. She faces life in prison if convicted.

Ebright went missing in the summer of 2007, and his body was found March 6 buried in the back yard at 5809 Lancaster Road, Hebron. An autopsy determined he died of gunshot wounds. Holling lived in Ohio when Ebright went missing, and Licking County Prosecutor Ken Oswalt said she was an acquaintance of Ebright’s.

The Licking County Sheriff’s Office made repeated trips to Texas during the course of the investigation, according to a press release from Oswalt’s office. The indictment was filed Friday, but as a secret indictment pending her arrest. She was arrested recently in Texas on a warrant for the murder charge.

Holling, whose current address is listed as 2233 S.E. Military Drive, Apt. 409, San Antonio, is in custody in the Bexar County jail in San Antonio. She has waived extradition and should be back in the county in a week to 10 days, the press release states.

When Ebright’s body was found in March, Sheriff Randy Thorp had said a suspect was in custody in Texas for an unrelated crime. The Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the Lancaster Road address, nearly two years after he went missing from his Watkins Road home. A neighbor on Lancaster Road told 10TV that he’d seen Ebright and the suspect incarcerated in Texas together shortly before his disappearance.

The status of that suspect was not referenced in the press release, and Oswalt would not say one way or the other to expect charges against that person. He would not discuss any relationship between Holling and the other suspect, who is not being named by The Advocate unless he is charged.

http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20090505/NEWS01/90505014/1002/Woman+indicted+for+murder+in+Licking+County+man+s+ death

[sarahhod]

Woman Charged After Missing Man’s Body Found

http://media.nbc4i.com/wcmh/img-story/images/uploads/lickingcountybodyfound030909.jpg NBC 4

A Texas woman is arrested in connection with the homicide of Robert Ebright whose body was found in the rear of a Hebron home in March.




By Donna Willis (dwillis@wcmh.com)
Web Content Coordinator
Published: May 5, 2009
LICKING COUNTY, Ohio—A Texas woman recently was arrested in connection with the homicide of a local man who had been missing since the summer of 2007.
The body of 56-year-old Robert Ebright was found Saturday, March 7.
That was when Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp opened what turned out to be Ebright’s grave in the rear of a house at 5809 Lancaster Rd., Hebron.
Ebright’s death was ruled a homicide, and the county coroner said he died as a result of a gunshot wound.
The Licking County grand jury returned a four-count indictment against 45-year-old Sandra R. Holling of Texas Friday, May 1.
She was charged with aggravated murder, murder, tampering with evidence, gross abuse of a corpse and a firearms specification.
At the time of Ebright’s death, Holling was a resident of Ohio, according to the Licking County prosecuting attorney’s office
The indictment was result of months of investigation by Licking County sheriff’s office in cooperation with the prosecuting attorney’s office.
Holling recently was arrested in Texas. Holling was expected to be brought to Licking County within a week to 10 days.
George Gaona was the last person seen with Ebright, according to a neighbor.
Gaona was called a person of interest in the case. Authorities learned he was in custody in Texas on unrelated charges and questioned him about Ebright.
Authorities will not release additional details on how Holling came to be a suspect, possible motives, whether or not there are additional suspects or further information on Ebright’s death.
The investigation is ongoing, authorities said.
If convicted, Holling could face life in prison with no possibility for parole.

http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/crime/article/woman_charged_after_missing_mans_body_found/15458/

[Faith]

Woman indicted for murder in Licking County man's death

May 5, 2009

Sandra R. Holling 45, of San Antonio, Texas, is charged with aggravated murder, murder, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse, all with firearm specifications, in connection with the death of Robert Franklin Ebright, 56. She faces life in prison if convicted.
http://cmsimg.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=BF&Date=20090505&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=90505014&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20090505/NEWS01/90505014

[sarahhod]

JULY 2007 DISAPPEARANCE
Woman charged after body found buried

Wednesday, May 6, 2009 3:24 AM
By Randy Ludlow (rludlow@dispatch.com)


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
When Robert F. Ebright vanished while carrying $8,000 in cash, Sandra R. Holling was living with a man in a small house along Lancaster Road south of Hebron. Holling and her co-occupant, the last person seen with Ebright, soon packed up and moved to Texas.
Licking County authorities announced yesterday that Holling has been arrested in San Antonio and charged in the shooting death of Ebright. His body was unearthed March 7 from a grave behind the house where she once lived.
Holling, 45, is charged with aggravated murder, murder, tampering with evidence, firearm violations and gross abuse of a corpse.
She faces life in prison without parole if convicted of the charges, Prosecutor Ken Oswalt said.
The man with whom she was living apparently remains a suspect in the slaying of Ebright, but has not been charged. The suspect has been serving a prison term in Texas since 2008 for failing to register as a sex offender.
Holling has waived extradition from Texas and will be returned to Newark in a week to 10 days to face the charges, Oswalt said.
The disappearance of the 56-year-old Ebright, who was last seen July 20, 2007, stumped detectives for more than a year. They finally developed information that led them to the makeshift grave of the Pataskala resident.
Ebright's family said he carried large amounts of cash because he disliked banks.
Licking County detectives have made several trips to Texas to follow leads and investigate the case.

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/05/06/Ebright.ART_ART_05-06-09_B8_K2DP7B3.html?sid=101