Scioto River Body Belongs To Shasta Himelrick, According To Family Members
A body found in the Scioto River belongs to a missing woman named Shasta Himelrick, according to family members. Multiple women have gone missing in the southern Ohio town of Chillicothe in rural Ross County. There is a very low crime rate in the area and no known gang activity.
The body from the Scioto River was found near where the ongoing search for Shasta Himelrick was taking place. Ross County Sheriff’s Deputies have not confirmed that the female body does indeed belong to Himelrick, but the family has told reporters at local 10TV News that the deceased is their missing loved one.
Himelrick’s vehicle was found near the intersection of Three Locks and Higby Roads. The doors were open and several of the young woman’s belongings, including her ATM card and cell phone, were still inside. Himelrick’s shoes were found not far from the car on the Higby Bridge.
Himelrick’s relatives said she had recently learned that she was pregnant and was happy about having a baby.
“I just wish they could find her, that we’d know for sure what happened,” Shirley Himelrick, the grandmother of the 20-year-old missing woman said on Sunday.
The young woman visited with her grandmother during the evening on Christmas.
“She got a text message and she said, ‘I’ve got to go, Granny. I’ll be back.’ But she never came back,” the elder Himelrick said.
A surveillance image from the Speedway gas station on East Main Street possibly caught a glimpse of Shasta Himelrick on December 26, but no other sightings were reported to Ross County law enforcement.
Himelrick lived with her boyfriend, according to her cousin Stacie Lockhard.
“She’s heartfelt. She cares about everybody. She’d just announced on Christmas Eve that she was expecting,” Lockhard said.
There was a small amount of blood found in Himelrick’s car, according to her grandmother.
When asked about police suspicion of Shasta’s boyfriend, the grandmother said, “He seems sincere, like, you now, that he’s really upset. But really, you can’t tell about people.”
Law enforcement officers have searched the Scioto River by vehicle, boat, on foot, on ATVs, and on horseback looking for Shasta Himelrick.
Shasta Himelrick’s family told the local media that they appreciate the work being done by the search and rescue team, but noted also that they have hired a private search team that hasn’t been allowed to attempt to find their loved one. Ross County Sheriff George Lavender said that the private search team was held off because he was afraid evidence could be accidentally tampered with during the hunt for the missing woman.
“I want my people there. My people in place. And if somebody finds something, my people would immediately call it in,” Sheriff Lavender said.
The other women missing in Chillicothe include Bethany Copas, Charlotte Trego, and Tameka Lynch.
[Images via: The Columbus Dispatch and Twitter]
