OH OH - Ava Lomas, 20, homicide, Toledo, 25 Jul 1979

[Namlok04]

Ava Diana Lomas

• Case number: 90
• Nickname or alias: N/A
• Incident location: 3134 Maplewood Avenue (Rear Alley)
  Toledo, Ohio - Lucas County
• Incident date: 7/25/1979
• Homicide date: 7/25/1979
• Date of birth: 4/6/1969
• Gender: Female
• Race/Ethnicity: Black
• Height: 5'6"
• Weight: 110
• Hair color: Black
• Eye color: Brown
• Law enforcement agency: Toledo Police Department

Details
On July 25, 1979 two teenagers found Ava Lomas laying in an alley behind 3134 Maplewood Avenue in Toledo. The victim was beaten suffering multiple blunt force injuries to her head and neck.

Anyone with info/Tips are encouraged to send them in here.

-- --
So far- I haven't been able to find a news article, or any concrete info on her family members, or where she may have lived. Doing my best sleuthing, but I noticed she doesn't have a thread here yet. (Searched and didn't find anything- if I'm wrong, someone let me know!) This little girl deserves justice & I'm sure her family would like some resolve.
Let's see if we can get her some.
Edit: Forgot her middle name, fixed that.

 

[JrzyGirl70]

From Ohio Attorney General Office Cold Case Division

Lomas - Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost

 

[meanmaryjean]

That is not the mugshot of a ten year old. Her DOB must be wrong.

 

[Laughing]

Agree completely,@meanmaryjean.

Beautiful woman, striking features. What went wrong?

Possibly not main stream media, but Google produces this article

Cold Case Quest: Ava Lomas

Author states that Ms. Lomas was 20, so likely a transcription error, DOB should be 1959 IMHO.

We do not sleuth family members. However, we agree that this is not the image of a 10 year old child and would like more information about Ms. Lomas' situation.

As an old genealogist, I am confident that this talented, accomplished person is her father:

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/toledoblade/name/kurt-ardrey-obituary?pid=139521322

The Ohio Death Index does list Ms. Lomas' birth as 1959. The on-line record available to me indicates that she was married at the time of death.

Other available records indicate a birth date of April 6, 1959.

I did not have much luck with the other names available in the obituary. (Not much.)

RIP, Ms. Ardrey-Lomas.

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[Laughing]

Is anyone aware of any Ohio-based posters?

There is probably more available about Ms. Lomas' life and situation.

Her obituary was published in The Toledo Blade, can someone find us a copy?

TLCPL - Obituary Index

(This is an index -- so we know an obit was published, now as we're working as genealogists we track down a copy, probably on microfilm.)

I don't see a paper archived up to 1979 here, but they are somewhere:

Newspapers

LibGuides: Newspapers at the Archives & Library of the Ohio History Connection: Getting Started

USGenWeb, at the state & county level, can be very helpful:

Lucas County OHGenWeb Home

Kurt Ardrey is included in FindAGrave, but I cannot locate Ms. Lomas in the resource.

Locals, chime in, please!

 

[Laughing]

According to Google Maps:

Google Maps

There is a likely turn-of-the-century house at this address. Apparently others have been removed since 1979.

Wonder who lived there at the time -- Ms. Lomas' address is different than this location per records.

Toledo City Directory -- anybody have access to 1978, '79, or '80???

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[Laughing]

@CCJD , hate to bother you, but noticed on another thread that you have a subscription to Newspapers.com.

If you are interested and have time, can you bring us the July 26 1979 obituary from the Toledo Blade?

Any newspaper articles about the July 1979 death of Ms. Ardrey-Lomas would be much appreciated.

Thank you so much, Laughing

 

[Laughing]

Hailing posters who may be or have lived in Ohio:

@Valiant @The Hands Team @Bougainvillea @JL Cauling @ohioexpat63

 

[CCJD]

@CCJD , hate to bother you, but noticed on another thread that you have a subscription to Newspapers.com.

If you are interested and have time, can you bring us the July 26 1979 obituary from the Toledo Blade?

Any newspaper articles about the July 1979 death of Ms. Ardrey-Lomas would be much appreciated.

Thank you so much, Laughing

Well, newspapers.com has nothing from the Toledo Blade, or just "The Blade". (not shocked - they have the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette but none from the Tribune-Review. Go figure.) So I checked Newspaperarchive.com - again nothing.

Last ditch effort was google archives. Nothing in the 7/26 paper. Found the obituary in the Toledo Blade but it was in the July 27, 1979 on page 14.
Toledo Blade - Google News Archive Search

 

[Laughing]

@CCJD thank you thank you thank you!!!

I've found a bit more -- the deceased left 2 daughters and many other family members.

Still no information about her murder, although per Google Maps, that occurred about a mile from her home!

 

[Namlok04]

That is not the mugshot of a ten year old. Her DOB must be wrong.

I know! I just found some new info from our local library that states she was actually 20 at her TOD. I was about to email the Ohio AG to let them know of the typo on their site, as that's where I got all this info from.

 

[Namlok04]

Well, newspapers.com has nothing from the Toledo Blade, or just "The Blade". (not shocked - they have the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette but none from the Tribune-Review. Go figure.) So I checked Newspaperarchive.com - again nothing.

Last ditch effort was google archives. Nothing in the 7/26 paper. Found the obituary in the Toledo Blade but it was in the July 27, 1979 on page 14.
Toledo Blade - Google News Archive Search

I'm so glad you found her obit! I was looking everywhere! Just about to go downtown in person to search physical records.

 

[Namlok04]

Is anyone aware of any Ohio-based posters?

There is probably more available about Ms. Lomas' life and situation.

Her obituary was published in The Toledo Blade, can someone find us a copy?

TLCPL - Obituary Index

(This is an index -- so we know an obit was published, now as we're working as genealogists we track down a copy, probably on microfilm.)

I don't see a paper archived up to 1979 here, but they are somewhere:

Newspapers

LibGuides: Newspapers at the Archives & Library of the Ohio History Connection: Getting Started

USGenWeb, at the state & county level, can be very helpful:

Lucas County OHGenWeb Home

Kurt Ardrey is included in FindAGrave, but I cannot locate Ms. Lomas in the resource.

Locals, chime in, please!

I'm a local! That's kinda why I started a thread for her. And TRUST ME. I've been looking at Every Available Cemetery record, and I'm like *this close* to go downtown and start looking for some physical records. At first I thought if her family claimed her, but didn't have enough to bury her, that she was perhaps buried in an "indigent" site. Alas, no luck, yet.
I'm wondering if she's buried with the Ardrey family plot?

The only reason I wanted to see if we could find family members was to maybe see if they were alive, to find them some resolution. I'm just an amateur, but I'm trying my hardest to resolve her case.

 

[Namlok04]

I'm so glad we have new info. Confirming her age(20), correct DOB(4/6/1959), and learning she probably has surviving family!

I wonder if shes buried in the Ardrey family plot or if she was buried in Detroit, Mi? As it seems her services were there, maybe that's where her husbands family is?

She was murdered fairly close to home, within a mile, and two teenagers found her body. I don't have info on who they might've been, but now knowing she was 20 herself, I wonder if they were friends.

Is it conceivably appropriate to contact the authorities for more info on this case? I mean we have nothing, no suspects, not even a weapon, or her past history.
The only thing we know is that it's a homicide, and I don't want to speculate on little to nothing.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who've honed their sleuthing skills

 

[CCJD]

Looked through the 26th again (last time was looking for obit). Found this.
Toledo Blade Jul 26, 1979 Page 24, just above ad for Paint Sale
Toledo Blade - Google News Archive Search

 

[Laughing]

@Namlok04 , please do contact LE & ask questions!

Any newspaper coverage at the time would be good, too. If the newspapers don't have these, the city or county Historical Society or Genealogical Society might have these, either hard copy of on microfiche or on-line.

On the genealogy side, and again we do NOT sleuth family as they are victims, her husband goes by his middle name & still resides in Toledo (he has been remarried BTW,) one of her daughters lives in Toledo, I haven't located the older daughter unless the spelling is way way off in the obit or available records.

Cause & manner of death from LE would be great. Was there a POI at the time? What was the neighborhood like? Did Ms. Lomas work outside the home? Where did Mr. Lomas work? Friction with neighbors, former romantic partners, union struggles at work for either of the couple?

There is a Jerome Lomas with ties to Toledo, this person is 20 years older than Ava Lomas & there is no indication of a tie to this situation. Obviously I haven't exhausted the records, but I honestly don't think he is relevant. Unless possibly someone else was confused about the 2 Jeromes in Toledo???

Maybe a local newspaper, ideally The Blade, would run a story for the anniversary? Please, let the newspaper contact family -- we generally avoid that here at WS.

Thanks for diving in with Ms. Lomas' case!

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[Namlok04]

@Namlok04 , please do contact LE & ask questions!

Any newspaper coverage at the time would be good, too. If the newspapers don't have these, the city or county Historical Society or Genealogical Society might have these, either hard copy of on microfiche or on-line.

On the genealogy side, and again we do NOT sleuth family as they are victims, her husband goes by his middle name & still resides in Toledo (he has been remarried BTW,) one of her daughters lives in Toledo, I haven't located the older daughter unless the spelling is way way off in the obit or available records.

Cause & manner of death from LE would be great. Was there a POI at the time? What was the neighborhood like? Did Ms. Lomas work outside the home? Where did Mr. Lomas work? Friction with neighbors, former romantic partners, union struggles at work for either of the couple?

There is a Jerome Lomas with ties to Toledo, this person is 20 years older than Ava Lomas & there is no indication of a tie to this situation. Obviously I haven't exhausted the records, but I honestly don't think he is relevant. Unless possibly someone else was confused about the 2 Jeromes in Toledo???

Maybe a local newspaper, ideally The Blade, would run a story for the anniversary? Please, let the newspaper contact family -- we generally avoid that here at WS.

Thanks for diving in with Ms. Lomas' case!

jmho ymmv lrr

I have an in with the blade, in a way, I have a family member who works there. I never imagined to contact the family myself. Obviously letting LEO or Newspapers contact them for updates. I more just wanted to solve her homicide, one less cold case to work on. Somebody has to know something.

 

[Namlok04]

So- I contacted TPD to see if I could get any info on her case. And unfortunately because it's still unsolved I cannot look at the files. A person within the records department confirmed this and is going to see if I can contact the cold case detective on the case. After that- who knows! Does anyone else from this thread (or newcomers) have any new info?
Thanks y'all.

 

[Moonwalker9]

Lomas - Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost

www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov

On July 25, 1979 two teenagers found Ava Lomas laying in an alley behind 3134 Maplewood Avenue in Toledo. The victim was beaten suffering multiple blunt force injuries to her head and neck.

1. Date Found:25 juli 1979
2. Date of Death:25 juli 1979
3. Birthday:6 april 1959
4. Age at Incident:20
5. Race:African-American / Black
6. Gender:Female
7. Height:5'6"
8. Weight:110
9. Hair Color:Black

Street view

3134 Maplewood Ave · 3134 Maplewood Ave, Toledo, OH 43610

3134 Maplewood Ave, Toledo, OH 43610

www.google.com