The Athens County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help finding a 32-year-old man indicted Tuesday, Oct. 27, on a murder charge in connection with the death of an infant in Nelsonville, Sheriff Rodney Smith announced in a statement reported by WTAP.
An Athens County grand jury indicted William Alexander McCallister on murder and additional felony charges, according to the sheriff’s announcement as reported by WTAP. The sheriff’s office circulated McCallister’s photograph and identifying information in a wanted poster as deputies work to locate him.
The sheriff’s office has not publicly detailed the circumstances of the infant’s death, including when it occurred or the specific evidence presented to the grand jury, and it has not disclosed the additional felony counts in the indictment. NewsForce247 is reporting only what the sheriff’s office has announced and is not adding details the agency has not released.
An indictment is a formal charge, not a finding of guilt. McCallister is presumed innocent unless he is convicted in court, and the case will be prosecuted through Athens County Common Pleas Court once he is in custody.
Nelsonville is a city of about 5,000 people in northwestern Athens County, in the Hocking Valley. The sheriff’s office patrols the county’s unincorporated areas and supports smaller departments across southeastern Ohio, and it is leading the effort to find McCallister.
Anyone who knows where McCallister may be is urged to contact the Athens County Sheriff’s Office at 740-593-6633, the number the sheriff’s office gave in its announcement reported by WTAP. Residents should not approach or try to apprehend him themselves, and should pass any credible information directly to deputies.
Deputies will continue searching while the indictment remains active. When McCallister is arrested, he will be booked into custody and scheduled for an arraignment, where the charges will be formally read and bond addressed in court.
Photo: Raymond Wambsgans, CC BY 2.0