COLUMBUS (WCMH) –Just a day after a man’s body was found along the Scioto River, police discovered the body of a woman along the river near Old Mound Street Tuesday morning.
Columbus police said they arrested Danny Johnson, 34, who is suspected in the death of the woman. She has not been identified.
Police said the two lived in a large homeless camp on the Old Mound Street Road near Interstate 70, in the area of Miranova.
Investigators said she and Johnson allegedly were involved in an altercation, which is how she died. Johnson has been charged with murder.
Other homeless people living in the camp told NBC4 the man lived with her in a tent.
The woman was found dead around 7:30 this morning. Columbus police said within four hours they arrested the man suspected in her death in an undisclosed home in the suburbs.
Homicide Sgt. David Sicillian said some of the 20 homeless living in this large camp helped police identify the man.
“We found the suspect in the suburb and what led us there was the interviews conducted by the detectives and the information elicited as a result of those interviews,” Sicillian said.
Homeless advocates NBC4 spoke with were shocked to hear about the death, saying the number of homeless living outdoors in camps like this one continue to grow.
“It is a troubling statistic, it is not surprising given what we’ve seen trend wise for the past three to four years, the numbers keep climbing up,” said Sara Loken, with the Community Shelter Board. The organization brings together dozens of community providers leading the response to homelessness.
The camp is set up like a small community with both wooden structures and tents planted on top of the old roadway.
“Most often when you encounter someone living outside and not coming into shelter there are a lot of challenges and barriers that exist for that person,”
We still know little about the man and woman other than they lived together in this tent.
“It is an absolute tragedy and our hearts go out to the woman who lost her life and her family. It is a great example of when we talk about homelessness we are talking about human life and human beings,”
The Community Shelter Board said around 1,700 people stay in shelters or on the streets each night.What others are clicking on:
