UPDATE TUESDAY 9 a.m.:
The body recovered Friday from the Glen Helen Nature Preserve in Greene County was the body of Leonid “Lonya” Clark, according to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Remains found in Glen Helen Nature Preserve prompt death investigation
Clark’s body was discovered in a wooded area near Grinnell Road around 3:30 p.m. Friday.
RELATED: Family searching for man missing from Yellow Springs
Clark was reported missing from the Yellow Springs area in January and was last seen on Jan. 13, according to police.
Buckeye Search & Rescue dogs were used in February in a search of “the area of Glen Helen Nature Preserve as this is a place Mr. Clark was known to frequent,” according to a statement issued by Yellow Springs Police.
Clark’s cause of death has not been officially ruled by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, who is conducting the autopsy.
FIRST REPORT:
A Yellow Springs man who has been the subject of multiple searches since he went missing in mid-January has died, according to a post on his father’s Facebook page.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s office confirmed Leonid “Lonya” Clark’s death early Tuesday morning. A message left with the Greene County Sheriff’s office, which is handling the investigation into Clark’s death, has not been returned.
It’s unclear at this time how Clark, 26, died or where his body was found.
“Our friends, family, and village should know that Lonya has left us,” read a message posted on Eric Clark’s Facebook page late Monday night. “We can only hope his life has left us with memories we will cherish for many years to come. We thank everyone for the amazing outpouring of kind words and support. Please forgive us if we need time to talk about this loss. We wish Lonya a peaceful farewell...”
Clark was the subject of several searches throughout the Yellow Springs area in February and March, including John Bryant State Park and Glenn Helen Nature Preserve.
Groups involved in the search included the Buckeye Search & Rescue dogs, Yellow Springs police, Greene County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
It is unclear at this time where Clark’s body was found.
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Relatives were concerned that Clark went missing in part because he was traumatized after he helped clean up an apartment that was the scene of a fatal accidental shooting in December of 2018, his father, Eric Clark, has said.
The clean-up work came in the wake of the Dec. 13 shooting death of Yellow Springs resident Kenneth Livingston. Livingston died of an accidental gunshot to the head, according to the Greene County coroner’s report.
The younger Clark had no connection to the shooting.
Coroner investigators are scheduled to conduct an autopsy today to determine Clark’s cause and manner of death.
We will continue to update this developing story.
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