An overnight manhunt is underway in Highland County after a 41-year-old man was found fatally shot Thursday evening on State Route 72, and the Highland County Sheriff’s Office says the man identified as the suspect had not been located as of Friday morning.
Deputies were called to the 13000 block of State Route 72 at approximately 8:05 p.m. on Thursday, October 22, after a report of a shooting, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies, Leesburg police officers and emergency medical personnel arrived to find the 41-year-old man deceased at the scene. The Highland County Coroner’s Office was called to investigate.
The sheriff’s office identified the suspect as Cassen Kelso Conaway, 20, of Highland County. Authorities said Conaway fled the area before deputies arrived, and the search for him continued through the night.
The multi-agency search involved the Highland County Sheriff’s Office K-9 and drone units, the Highland County Special Response Team, the Greenfield Police Department’s K-9 unit, the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s aviation unit and troopers, the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, according to the sheriff’s office. In all, more than a dozen local, state and federal resources took part in the overnight search. Highland County Victim Witness personnel also responded to assist those affected by the shooting.
State Route 72 runs through rural Highland County, linking Hillsboro to Leesburg to the northeast, and the 13000 block sits between the two communities. The sheriff’s office has not released the name of the man who died, and it has not released additional details about what led to the shooting or a possible motive.
Anyone who encounters Conaway should avoid approaching him and contact law enforcement immediately. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Highland County Sheriff’s Office at (937) 393-1421.
The investigation remains active, according to the sheriff’s office, and deputies said the search for Conaway was still underway on Friday morning. Conaway is being sought in connection with the shooting, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Photo: John Phelan, CC BY