AKRON -- There is a mystery in Akron, where remains have been found in a fire pit not far from the University of Akron campus.
Investigators believe they could be human.
They were discovered behind the home of 54-year-old Martha “Robin” Freitag, who has not been seen in weeks.
Her family and friends placed posters around her home in the 600 block of Crouse Street, where police had performed several welfare checks.
“We had calls from doctors’ offices to say that she didn’t show up for an appointment,” Akron Police Lieutenant Rick Edwards said. “Checked the house, and there was no signs of any, anything suspicious at that time.”
Edwards said the family reported her missing just over a week ago. A tip then led them to the scene last night, where they made the gruesome discovery.
“They’re still ‘possible’ human remains,” said Summit County Medical Examiner Dr. Lisa Kohler, who called in a team of anthropologists.
“We were notified of the remains being here last evening and I reached out to our friends at Mercyhurst,” she said. “I’m not sure how long it’s going to take us to make the identification.”
Freitag’s relatives declined to comment, saying there is nothing more they know.
“That is obviously a critical component for us to identify this individual and to let the next of kin know for certain this is their loved one,” Dr. Kohler said.
On Friday, crime investigators could be seen removing potential evidence by the bagful from the home. Police say they are not ruling out homicide, while still treating Freitag’s disappearance as a missing person’s case.