Thursday, March 10, 2011

Knoblock’s cause of death unknown


March 10, 2011 - By KATIE SCHWENDEMAN (kschwendeman@reviewonline.com)
LaCROFT - A Columbiana County coroner has ruled the death of a Liverpool Township woman as "unknown" after several months of investigation.
The body of Tracy D. Knoblock, 40, of Seventh Avenue, was found July 29 in a creek in the area of Coal Hollow in LaCroft.
Her family reported her missing on July 24, after not being able to contact her for two days.
Police Chief Charlie Burgess was the first official to arrive on location after the department received a call from someone who saw the body in the remote location off Park Place.
He said Knoblock was found lying on her back and appeared to have fallen nearly 86 feet down a ravine before landing in the creek.
Dr. William Graham, Columbiana County coroner, said Wednesday autopsy results and other information indicated the fall wasn't responsible for her death.
"There is evidence she may have fallen, but that didn't kill her ... the theory may be right, but we can't prove it," he said.
He also said she suffered bruises and several broken ribs.
The autopsy was performed by the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office.
Burgess said last summer and again on Wednesday that it didn't appear foul play was a factor in her death.
"Nothing at this point has led us to foul play as an indication," he said.
Less than a week after Knoblock was found, the Columbiana County Common Pleas Court issued a court order against Spring Legal Compliance in order to secure Knoblock's phone records from July 19 through July 29.
County Chief Assistant Prosecutor John Gamble filed the motion for the records request, stating then that the court wasn't looking for "anything in particular," although he believed they could aid in the investigation.
The cell phone was recovered with her body. The Liverpool Township Police Department interviewed several people during the investigation, hoping to piece together information about her death, but no information surfaced that changed the department's original findings, Burgess said in early August.
The police department received the phone records that month.
"They (the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office) did everything to determine why she died but they couldn't," Graham said.
Staff Writer Tom Giambroni contributed to this report.

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