Autopsies done on 2 Ohio teens reported missing
Bicycles sat behind the home of Blake and Blaine Romes in Ottawa, Ohio, Friday. Two teenage brothers who had been reported missing were found dead after a third teen pointed authorities to their bodies before he was taken into custody, officials said.
OTTAWA, Ohio » Autopsies have been completed on two teenage brothers who were reported missing in northwest Ohio this week and found dead after a third teen directed authorities to their bodies.
Authorities aren’t releasing the results as they continue their investigation and weigh whether to file more charges against a teen who pleaded not guilty to a grand theft auto charge Friday in juvenile court.
The two who were found dead— 14-year-old Blaine Romes and 17-year-old Blake Romes — lived together with the third teen and their mothers inside a trailer home in Ottawa, a small village about 100 miles northwest of Columbus, neighbors said.
The teens had been the subjects of an Amber Alert issued Thursday morning after a mother returned to the home and found a crime scene, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said. A car was also reported missing from the trailer park.
The Associated Press previously identified the third teen, also a 17-year-old boy, but now is withholding his name because he has been charged as a juvenile.
Prosecutors said Friday they anticipate filing additional charges, which they didn’t specify, as they worked on building their case.
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The Lucas County coroner’s office completed the autopsies Friday but authorities in Ottawa have not made the results public.
The 17-year-old boy was taken into custody Thursday afternoon at a gas station in Columbus after stopping to ask for directions, authorities said. He was driving the missing car, police said. He faces no other charges.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said the 17-year-old told officers that the Romes brothers were dead and gave the locations of their bodies.
Sheriff Mike Chandler said the bodies were found in different locations. He declined to give additional information on what happened, saying he was limited because those involved are juveniles.
The father of Blaine and Blake Romes told The Blade newspaper in Toledo that he last talked to his sons on their birthdays in March.
“They were amazing kids. I really think they had respect and manners for others,” said Brian Romes, who is no longer married to the boys’ mother.
