Two men were discovered unresponsive in a North Olmsted driveway on Saturday night in what neighbors describe as a chilling scene. One of them, 61-year-old Jeffrey Ropp, was pronounced dead where he lay. The other, identified locally as Donald Matthei, was found unconscious but later came to. Neighbors and social media posts say the pair may have been outside for nearly 11 hours before anyone realized something was wrong.
Police update on the investigation
North Olmsted police say officers were called shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday for a report of two unresponsive men in a driveway. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner initially classified Ropp’s death as a homicide. In a Monday news release, however, police said that after the surviving man regained consciousness and spoke with detectives, they now think the incident may have been a "tragic accident" and that alcohol likely played a role, according to WJW.
Social reports and timeline
Early details spread on the Cleveland, Ohio, Remembrance Page on Facebook, which identifies the deceased as Jeffrey Ropp and the other man as Donald Matthei and repeats the claim that both were outside for nearly 11 hours before being found. The post says Ropp got out of the passenger side of a truck and also fell, while the surviving man reportedly slipped on the driveway and lost consciousness. The page notes that these accounts have not been independently verified.
What comes next
Detectives say they are working to verify the surviving man’s account and that "nothing to this point contradicts his statements," according to the police update. Anyone with information is asked to contact the North Olmsted Police Department at 440-777-3535, per WJW.
