A welfare check on Tytus Avenue in Middletown turned into a homicide investigation Thursday afternoon after officers found a woman dead inside a vehicle with what police described as fatal injuries. A 51-year-old man has since been arrested and charged with murder, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse.
Officers responded to the 4000 block of Tytus Avenue for the welfare check, according to cincinnati.com, which reported officers arrived at about 4:35 p.m. Thursday and discovered the woman inside the vehicle. Local 12, however, reported the call came in around 4:30 p.m. near Longfellow, a slight discrepancy in the reported timeline that has not been resolved. Both outlets agree that whoever was dispatched found the woman already dead when they arrived.
Arrest and Charges Filed in Middletown Municipal Court
Police arrested Darwin Malcolm, 51, in connection with the woman's death, according to Local 12, which reported he faces charges of murder, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse. Spelling of the defendant's last name varies between reports — cincinnati.com rendered it as “Malcom” while Local 12 and other accounts use “Malcolm” — and the discrepancy has not been clarified by either outlet. As FOX19 reported, Middletown police announced the arrest and the charges against him following the discovery.
The gross abuse of a corpse charge stems from a section of Ohio law that criminalizes certain conduct involving a human corpse. Under Ohio Revised Code section 2927.01, a violation of that statute's division (B) is classified as a fifth-degree felony — a description of how the law itself is written, not a determination of guilt in this case.
Victim's Identity, Cause of Death Still Undisclosed
Officials have not released the woman's name or said how she died, cincinnati.com reported, and the investigation remains ongoing per the same outlet's reporting. No further details about what led investigators to Malcolm or the circumstances surrounding the woman's death have been made public.
Middletown police are asking anyone with information about the case to come forward. According to WCPO, tipsters can contact Detective T. Ballinger at 513-425-7741, reach police dispatch at 513-425-7701, or email [email protected].
