GUILTY OH - Jonathan Minard, 14, found deceased, Carroll County, 13 April 2019

[Plo_Koon]

What are the chances that a 14 yr old was having a heart attack though?

I have a heart condition called Long QT Syndrome. I was completely unaware I had this condition until I went into sudden cardiac arrest 9 times in 1 day at the age of 30 a couple of years ago. Prior to that I never had any inclination whatsoever in my entire life that I had a heart condition. These things can happen. Like another poster said though, a heart condition wouldn't result in him being buried in a shallow grave.

 

[Plo_Koon]

Wasn't he found in a shallow grave? He dug that while having a heart attack? Color me confused.

Other people can dig graves

 

[Plo_Koon]

We're basing a lot of opinion on facts we don't know are true. The toothache, going back to the house, suddenly disappearing. Those are statements made by the POI who then refused a polygraph. I don't believe anything he said.

I agree wholeheartedly with you. This drug overdose thing has really taken on a life of its own in this thread and I don't know what exactly people are basing this on. Because a POI who refuses to take a polygraph said he had a toothache? I'll wait to put much stock into that claim. Because the POI has former drug charges on his record? Do we know what specifically he was caught with or charged with? For all I know he could have gotten in trouble for growing marijuana plants on a farm or pulled over with 3 ounces of weed on him. I've yet to meet the person who has overdosed on marijuana, or it at the least hasn't happened to me yet.

 

[Seattle1]

If someone has a heart attack or medical episode, it is hard for me to understand how you don't call 911 or attempt to resuscitate, especially on someone otherwise young and healthy and then to allow the family and community to wonder what happened for 4-5 days? I can't come up with a natural medical episode scenario that makes an iota of sense here.

But I agree that at a minimum, no matter COD, there was still a crime of covering up the death and I hope that LE has what they need to being closure here.

The normal reaction by a non-disordered person would certainly be to render aid, call 911, seek help, etc!

Thanks to WS, I've learned that that the disordered is capable of what most can't fathom.

We know nothing about the POI and/or suspect that allegedly killed JM and/or what his mind is like. I'm also a bit suspicious of a 29 year old that keeps company with a 14 year old boy. Obit by JM's family tells us that JM had been working on this farm for many years. Seems to me that his family never suspected JM was in danger there. Perhaps JM was believed to be more mature than his older friend. We may not be dealing with a healthy mind. Only time will tell....

MOO

 

[Rosiebones]

I also suspect that many of the people in that small town have ideas and opinions on what happened and have known each other all their lives. In deference to the sorrow of the family and because of the expressed intention by LE of doing this investigation correctly they may be waiting until this funeral service is over before they arrest anyone.

 

[CuriousGreyBlob]

I agree wholeheartedly with you. This drug overdose thing has really taken on a life of its own in this thread and I don't know what exactly people are basing this on. Because a POI who refuses to take a polygraph said he had a toothache? I'll wait to put much stock into that claim. Because the POI has former drug charges on his record? Do we know what specifically he was caught with or charged with? For all I know he could have gotten in trouble for growing marijuana plants on a farm or pulled over with 3 ounces of weed on him. I've yet to meet the person who has overdosed on marijuana, or it at the least hasn't happened to me yet.

I believe the overdose theory took hold because of where the body was sent for autopsy. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners office is known for their work involving the opioid epidemic.

 

[Plo_Koon]

I believe the overdose theory took hold because of where the body was sent for autopsy. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners office is known for their work involving the opioid epidemic.

Thank you for the response, welcome to WS, and great username.

 

[CharlestonGal]

I wonder what kind of conversation we would be having if the victim was a 14-year-old girl.

 

[Hippiemomof5]

I wonder what kind of conversation we would be having if the victim was a 14-year-old girl.

Exactly. I still think the same scenario is likely, unfortunately.

 

[Deleted member 278]

Exactly. I still think the same scenario is likely, unfortunately.

I'm thinking along those lines

 

[pepper 34]

I still have a hard time believing the toothache story. As far as him working at the farm, maybe he enjoyed the farm and was just helping out without pay. It could've been more of an entertainment to him. I wonder if his family has lived in Delroy most of his life or maybe at one time they lived near the farm and that's how he started going there. He liked to go fishing, is there a pond on the farm?

His aunt did say during one of her interviews that he worked on the farm to earn money. I have also wondered how Jonathan came to be working on that particular farm though. The POI has been referred to as "friend" and "family friend" on vaious MSM sites so maybe Jonathan's family knows the POI's family. I saw on his obituary that another boy expressed sadness at his death and called himself a "co-worker" so it seems that Jonathan may not have been the only young person working there. I don't see a pond on that property using Google Earth.

 

[Betty P]

I believe the overdose theory took hold because of where the body was sent for autopsy. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners office is known for their work involving the opioid epidemic.

Cuyahoga County ME handles autopsies for many of the small counties in NE Ohio simply because these counties don't have enough suspicious deaths to warrant having an ME and full facilities to handle them. Carroll County only has a coroner, not a ME. He's probably equipped to do preliminary autopsies, but not full autopsies and contracts with bigger counties to do that work. Pretty common in Ohio's rural areas. So it may not be accurate at this point to assume it was a drug-related death. JMO

A similar situation happened with the Rhoden family massacre farther south in Pike County, OH. All of the victims were transported to the Cincinnati / Hamilton County ME for full autopsies.

 

[Henry2326]

I believe the overdose theory took hold because of where the body was sent for autopsy. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners office is known for their work involving the opioid epidemic.

I thought of overdose related to taking something for the toothache.

 

[pepper 34]

Jonathan was obviously a loved member of the community, and both his missing and suspicious death have hit his family and friends very hard. Even the Sheriff seemed overcome with grief.

I'm not certain what to think about the obituary reference to JM working on the dairy farm for many years.

If this dairy farm is where JM met with foul play, possibly at the hands of his farm supervisor or son of the dairy owner, the family truly must have thought JM's dairy farm work was such a significant part of JM's life that it warranted being featured in his obituary. Is it possible that his older friend and farm family are also grieving the loss of their farm intern?

For the first time I'm wondering if JM didn't have a physical problem including heart issue that could account for his actual cause of death, and where the POI is guilty of panic and failure to dispose a body properly.

At age 14 -- JM could also have been experimenting with drugs, and possibly overdosed trying to overcome his toothache.

Just seems LE are waiting for preliminary toxicology or medical examiners report before moving forward, and not necessarily at a pace expected with a criminal act.

This may prove a larger tragedy than first thought. So sorry for his family and friends.

MOO

This is how I've been thinking, too. It's possible the POI did something on Friday night (maybe was indulging in some drug and Jonathan wanted to try some, too.) POI may have given Jonathan the drug with disastrous results. Jonathan may have seemed somewhat better in the morning but, soon after beginning work, he felt the "tooth pain" ... or just felt generally crappy. The drug could have aggravated a pre-existing but unknown medical condition and this may be the point where 911 could have been called with help still being within reach... but, who would know that? Jonathan's just not feeling great... got a toothache. Jonathan then is taken back to the POI's house after morning chores and dies sometime during the day... The POI might find him after he gets back from afternoon chores; having been dead for hours so clearly way beyond CPR or 911. He panics... knowing he gave Jonathan a drug that will be traced by autopsy. He buries the body to keep from being arrested for causing Jonathan's death. It looks like a natural but very unexpected death due to a congenital fault of the heart... and it might be except for the drug Jonathan was given earlier; without which, he would still be alive.
All speculation

 

[ab01]

I thought of overdose related to taking something for the toothache.

I don't believe there ever was a toothache....MOO

 

[Henry2326]

I don't believe there ever was a toothache....MOO

That is very possible.

 

[CharlestonGal]

I don't believe there ever was a toothache....MOO

I don't either. I think that was a cover story to initially explain Jonathan's disappearance from the farm. "He has a toothache and his mom is coming to get him". Except he never called his mom.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

I don't either. I think that was a cover story to initially explain Jonathan's disappearance from the farm. "He has a toothache and his mom is coming to get him". Except he never called his mom.

I agree.

 

[Deleted member 278]

I think the POI did think that Jonathan had a toothache because that is what Jonathan told him. Otherwise, he probably would have just said that Jonathan wasn't feeling good. This does not necessarily mean that the toothache was real. Maybe Jonathan was coming up with an excuse to leave because of the previous day's events or events of that day.

ETA: POI is suspicious, realizes why Jonathan really wants to leave, confronts him and kills him.

 

[Songbird1973]

I think the POI did think that Jonathan had a toothache because that is what Jonathan told him. Otherwise, he probably would have just said that Jonathan wasn't feeling good. This does not necessarily mean that the toothache was real. Maybe Jonathan was coming up with an excuse to leave because of the previous day's events or events of that day.

ETA: POI is suspicious, realizes why Jonathan really wants to leave, confronts him and kills him.

Can we definitely know that Jonathan did say he had a toothache? I do understand that numerous articles posted on here state:

"According to people on the farm, the boy complained about a toothache and said that he was going to call his mother to pick him up and take him home."
​

But, did "people on the farm" actually hear it from JM, or the POI?
1. JM may have spoken to someone besides POI on the farm, who quoted JM's statement to the Sheriff.
2. POI may have told "people on the farm" that JM said he had a toothache, and those people quoted POI's statement to the sheriff.
3. "People on the farm" may simply be a confusing way of refering to the POI so as not to identify him.