Cleveland police are investigating after the body of a woman was found by an excavating crew at Boyas Excavating on the morning of March 27, reports WOIO.
According to officials, workers at the site in Valley View, Ohio, made the discovery in debris that was taken from a construction site on Cleveland’s West Side.
WOIO reports that Valley View police say the debris came from a building being demolished at 1545 W. 25th St. The load was picked up around noon that morning and taken directly to Boyas Excavating, police say.
It’s reported that workers at Boyas noticed a hand sticking out of an orange sleeping bag after the load was dumped. They used a metal rod to pull the sleeping down bag down, which revealed the body. The workers immediately called Valley View police.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Rhonda Toke, 57. Her cause of death has not been released.
The building in question, which was previously a transitional housing center, was demolished last week. The building has been vacant since April 2022 after being acquired by Ohio City Inc. in 2021, reports News 5 Cleveland. Days before the building was slated for demolition, there were two separate fires at the location that police believe were intentionally set.
The Cleveland Fire Arson Unit is investigating those fires, according to WOIO, and it is unknown if the fires are connected to the deceased woman.