Perry Township police went to a home on Oakbourne Drive to serve a search warrant tied to a financial crime investigation and instead found a woman believed to be in her 70s dead inside the house. Three other people who were present in the home were questioned, but as of Wednesday, no charges have been filed against them.
Officers discovered the deceased woman upon entering the residence, according to Perry Township police, as reported by myfox28columbus.com. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation was called in to process the scene, a step that reflects how the agency routinely lends forensic and investigative support to smaller local departments, according to the Ohio Attorney General's Office.
Perry Township police said the search warrant itself was connected to a financial crime, though the department has not detailed what property or transactions investigators were pursuing at the Oakbourne Drive address. The three people found inside the home during the search were questioned but have not been charged as the investigation continues.
Cause of Death Still Pending
Perry Township police say they will determine the cause of death, but under Ohio law, that determination ultimately falls to the Franklin County Coroner's Office, which is required to investigate all sudden, unattended, or suspicious deaths in the county, according to Franklin County, Ohio. Autopsy reports and toxicology results typically become public record once that process is complete. The death investigation remains active, according to Officer Eric Delbert.
Perry Township Police Department is led by Chief Kenneth S. Cesaro, who oversees a mix of full-time officers and part-time constables, including Delbert, who was reappointed to the force in January. The department operates out of Sawmill Road to serve the roughly 4,600 residents of the northwestern Franklin County community, according to a job listing posted through the National Testing Network.
Financial Crime Angle Involving an Elderly Victim
The fact that the deceased woman was believed to be in her 70s and that the underlying warrant was tied to a financial crime raises the possibility that Ohio's elder financial exploitation statutes could come into play as the case develops. Under Ohio Revised Code § 2913.02, theft committed against an elderly person carries enhanced felony charges, mandatory full restitution, and fines that can reach $50,000, according to FindLaw. Separately, state law under Ohio Revised Code § 5101.63 requires law enforcement officers, first responders, and financial institution employees to report suspected financial exploitation of adults 60 and older to Adult Protective Services or police, a mandate aimed at catching senior financial abuse earlier, according to the Lawrence Law Office.
It is not yet known whether these statutes will factor into any future charges in this case, since no charges have been filed against the three people questioned and the coroner has not released findings on cause of death. Perry Township has previously dealt with property issues at addresses along Oakbourne Drive; in 2023, the township's Board of Trustees declared a residence on that street a public nuisance over accumulated debris and overgrown vegetation, a separate matter unrelated to this investigation.
State Resources Back Up Local Departments
Cases involving vulnerable or missing adults in Ohio often draw on state-level resources beyond a single township's police force. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation issued 146 Endangered Missing Adult Alerts across 38 counties in 2022, resulting in 145 people being safely located, Hoodline previously reported on a related alert case. Perry Township police have also worked with county and regional partners on broader public safety operations, including Operation BRIDGE alongside the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, which has targeted warrant service, property crimes, and narcotics in western Franklin County, according to the sheriff's office.
For now, key questions remain open. Investigators have not said how the woman died, what specifically the search warrant sought, or what role, if any, the three people questioned may have played. Perry Township police and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation continue to investigate, and any charges would depend on forensic findings and the coroner's determination of cause and manner of death.
