Quaker City man faces two counts of murder in death of Madison Township woman

CAMBRIDGE ‒ A Quaker City area man is facing two counts of murder with firearms specifications in the death of a Madison Township woman.

Dalton John Leach, 32, is currently being held in the Guernsey County Jail awaiting a bond hearing later this week in Cambridge Municipal Court, according to Sheriff Jeffrey D. Paden.

The charges follow a homicide investigation that began last Friday.

Well-being check

Deputies had responded to a Madison Township residence to conduct a well-being check on a 55-year-old woman, after her family members reported they had not been able to make contact with her for several hours. The woman was found dead inside the residence with suspicious circumstances, Paden said. At that time, detectives were summoned to the scene as well as the Guernsey County coroner and the investigation was initiated.

The crime scene unit from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office was requested as well to process the scene for evidence. Paden said that Leach was identified as a person of interest and all other law enforcement agencies were alerted to be on the lookout for him and the victim’s vehicle shortly before 1 p.m. Friday.

Leach was found in the Indianapolis, Indiana, area and was taken into custody on initial charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle, the sheriff said. Leach waived extradition and was transported back to the Guernsey County Jail on Monday night.

Following further investigation, detectives met with the Guernsey County prosecutor and reviewed the case and charges of murder were then prepared and filed through the Cambridge Municipal Court on Tuesday.

The investigation is ongoing.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Quaker City man faces charges in death of Madison Township woman