Phillip Jones was a 38-year-old Black man from Cleveland, Ohio. His family was left devastated by his sudden and violent death. His uncle, Jim Boyd Sr., later recalled the shock of connecting a local news report to his own family's loss, saying, “I was watching the news I see that a child they found in a sewer and then three weeks later I find out that it’s my nephew.”
The discovery was made on February 2, 2022.
A crew of sewer district workers was conducting an inspection in a sewer on Euclid Avenue at West Belvoir in Cleveland when they came across a decomposing body. Authorities were called to the scene to recover the remains and begin an investigation into the man's identity and the circumstances of his death.
The victim was soon identified as Phillip Jones. Following an autopsy, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that he had been shot. His death was officially ruled a homicide resulting from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Despite the investigation that followed, Phillip’s murder remains a mystery. As of March 2022, his case was one of several unsolved homicides in Cleveland for that year. No arrests have been made in connection with his death, and the case remains open. Investigators are asking for help from the public. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crimestoppers at 216-252-7463.
