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Vehicle sought in homicide investigation found

NEW CUMBERLAND, W.Va. — Going into Wednesday, Hancock County investigators seemed more optimistic that some new developments will lead to arrests in a weekend shooting near Mountaineer race track.

Chief Deputy Art Watson of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday afternoon that a vehicle of interest had been discovered in Columbiana County Monday. The fire-damaged Range Rover, which was a rental vehicle bearing New York license plates, had been discovered on McIntosh Road.

The vehicle of interest was the subject of a Sunday evening alert in neighboring western Pennsylvania and southern Columbiana County.

Columbiana County Sheriff Ray Stone reported that dispatch received a call about a burning vehicle in a field shortly after midnight Monday in the 1700 block of McIntosh Road in Madison Township.

This would have been almost five hours before the body was discovered and eight hours before issuing the Be On the Look Out (BOLO) by West Virginia officials.

The 2020 Range Rover was owned by EAN Holdings of Tulsa, Oklahoma, according to investigators.

The tradename for EAN Holdings is Enterprise Holdings, which offers rental vehicles, and the vehicle had not been reported stolen.

According to Sheriff Stone, Hancock County investigators came up to inspect what was left of the burned out vehicle. Stone referred any further questions to them.

Hancock County deputies had been called to the scene, where it appears someone dumped the man’s body, around 4:30 p.m. Sunday about 70 yards of Racetrack Road in an area frequented by quad riders.

Watson was able to confirm as of Tuesday afternoon that the victim, who was described as a caucasian man in his late 20s or early 30s, had sustained a gunshot to his head.

The man also was tattooed.

Detectives had attended the morning autopsy on Tuesday, but Watson said at press time Tuesday that they had not returned yet to give him further information regarding the findings. He added that the final report wouldn’t be complete for months due to toxicology reports.

The case remains a homicide investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call 304-456-4100.

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