EAST LIVERPOOL — East Liverpool police have recovered the gun used to kill James Powell last Thursday.

According to Police Chief John Lane, who has been worried about children possibly finding the missing firearm, police officers had been out combing the area daily, searching for where murder suspect Daniel Clayton Whitley, 33, might have disposed of the weapon.

Lane also noted Cody Cole, Wellsville volunteer firefighter, was aiding in the search with a metal detector in areas with high grass. Lane requested the assistance of the street department in cutting the grass to help with the search, and according to Lane the busy street department dropped what they were doing and got the grass mowed so officers could search that area.

Detective Jon Price and officer Justin Watkins, through what Lane describe as a thorough and relentless search, located the firearm, a model 1911, .22 caliber handgun in the neighborhood they suspected it might be.

The gun was found in an old pickup truck filled with junk and carpet. Price contacted the owner of the truck and got consent to search it. According to Lane, when Price moved the carpet, they found the gun.

Lane noted it was a lucky find, because if the owner of the truck had dumped what was in it the gun probably would have been gone.

The gun was located fully loaded with a round in the chamber on Chester Street.

Lane said he will sleep easier knowing the gun has been recovered and is glad to have it off the street where it is no longer at risk of being discovered by children.

Currently Price is working on search warrants for the house and the car involved, and the suspect’s DNA and cell phone. He noted that the prosecutor’s office has been a big help in assisting Price with getting the warrants together.

Clayton has been charged with first degree murder and is currently being held in the Columbiana County Jail on a $1 million cash or surety bond. A preliminary hearing is set for May 22 at 1 p.m., before Judge Tim McNicol.