MANSFIELD — Candice Cunningham officially became the third victim identified Tuesday by law enforcement in connection with the case against suspected serial killer Shawn Grate.
The announcement comes nearly seven weeks after authorities say Grate led them to to Cunningham’s remains that were scattered behind a charred house in Madison Township.
Although no details were released surrounding the cause or the time of her death Tuesday, Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon speculated in September that her remains had been there since mid-June.
The skeletal remains were not totally intact when authorities found them in September. Sheldon said he suspected Grate was living in the house at 1027 Park Avenue East when it burned down June 21.
Cunningham’s identification was performed through DNA swabs obtained by the Richland County Coroner’s Office, according to a press release. The DNA was then identified by Mercyhurst University Department of forensics.
“Once the remains were found, we wanted to use DNA to identify her,” Richland County Assistant Prosecutor Brandon Pigg said Tuesday.
No charges have been filed against Grate in Richland County, the case’s primary suspect. When asked to confirm whether Grate confessed to killing Cunningham, Pigg declined to comment, but hinted at a special grand jury session to file charges.
“The grand jury meets the first of each month. It’s unclear at this point if it’ll follow a regular time frame. We could call it special and if that’s the case it could happen anytime,” he said.
Pigg said the prosecutor’s office is still “waiting on a few things to come,” before charges can be made.
Authorities have also linked Grate to the death of Rebekah Leicy, who was originally found perched against a tree in rural Ashland County on March 16, 2015. Her death was ruled a drug overdose at that time by the Cuyahoga County Coroner.
Mansfield Police chief Ken Coontz said the Leicy investigation is on hold until the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office decides to go forward with an indictment.
“As far as I know, we’re just waiting to charge,” Coontz said.
MPD detectives Ken Carroll and David Scheurer searched two locations in Mansfield Sept. 19 after they say Grate shared information with them that led them to believe he was involved in Leicy’s death.
Grate was indicted on a total of 23 counts in Ashland County, including four counts of aggravated murder, four counts of kidnapping, two counts of gross abuse of a corpse, four counts of rape, four counts of burglary, and one count each of tampering with evidence, aggravate robbery, unauthorized use of a vehicle, robbery and breaking and entering.
He is being held in Ashland County Jail on $1 million bond.
Grate pleaded not guilty to all 23 counts but also admitted to the killings in several interviews with Cleveland news stations before a gag order was imposed on all parties involved in the case.
Authorities believe Grate is connected to a 2005 murder in Marion County. According to Marion County Sheriff Tim Bailey, Grate admitted to authorities that he killed a woman there in 2005.
On March 10, 2007, Marion County authorities discovered the remains of a woman who has never been identified. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office released a new sketch of the woman last month in a renewed effort to identify her.
