COLUMBUS – Police say the deaths of a man and woman whose bodies were found in and near the Scioto River downtown 12 hours apart were not connected.
Kayakers spotted the body of Raymond Solomon in the river near COSI shortly after 7:00 p.m. Monday and pronounced dead at the scene, homicide detectives said
Investigators said the Franklin County coroner is working to determine the cause of the 64-year-old man’s death but foul play is not suspected.
At approximately 7:30 Tuesday morning officers and medics dispatched to a homeless camp west of the railroad tracks near the intersection of W. Mound Street and Short Street on a report of a woman who was not responsive found an unidentified woman lying inside of a tent, detectives said.
UPDATE: The victim has been identified as Cathleen Howatts, 47, according to WBNS 10-TV.
She was not breathing and was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to witnesses, the woman was involved in a fight with Danny Johnson, 34, another homeless person, which resulted in the victim’s death.
Johnson was arrested later in Reynoldsburg on a murder charge.
This was the 28th homicide in Columbus this year.