Sowell Investigation Will Take Weeks; Fourth Victim Identified

Friday, November 6, 2009
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Cleveland police say 43 year old Nancy Cobbs was last seen by her family last April 24th.

Cleveland police say 43 year old Nancy Cobbs was last seen by her family last April.  They say a missing persons report was made to the Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority in June, and to the Cleveland Police Department this past Monday, after news of the killings broke. 

Public Safety Director Martin Flask said today the investigation into Sowell and his alleged crimes will take weeks, or perhaps months, to complete.  He told ideastream’s Dick Feagler that the search for bodies or other evidence would extend well beyond Sowell’s Imperial Avenue home. 

Flask:  We’ve looked at all the vacant homes within a half mile radius.  But he’s lived at other places in his life that clearly we’re going to have to check.

In the same interview, City Public Health Director Matt Carroll refuted claims by City Councilman Zachary reed that his office had made calls to the health Department complaining of a horrible stench, now believed to have been that of dead bodies, emanating from or near Sowell’s home. 

Carroll:  We checked actually a lot of the history of calls from the councilman’s office.  We have a very good record of response to those calls, but this particular call, we just didn’t receive it. 

Reed has said the owner of a sausage factory located next door to Sowell’s home spent ten thousand dollars to clean or replace sewer pipes at the facility, thinking the odor was coming from his facility.