Charges could come Thursday in 3 bodies found in 2 counties

ASHLAND, OH (WOIO) - A 40-year-old man is expected in an Ashland courtroom Thursday after 3 bodies were found in 2 counties.

Shawn Michael Grate was arrested Tuesday and charged with abduction of a woman. The woman was able to call police for help.

Slideshow: Grate arrested

When Ashland police officers arrived at the home on 363 Covert Court Tuesday morning they found the woman and Grate. According to authorities, while processing the scene they found the bodies of two women. One of those bodies has been identified as Stacey Stanley, 43. Her family reported her missing on Sept. 8.

Who is Stacey Stanley?

Police said Grate then lead them to an abandoned home on Park Avenue East in Mansfield, about 11 miles away. The abandoned home had been gutted from a fire back in June. Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon said the suspect was homeless and had been living in the house.

Within five minutes of being on the property the suspect walked up to the edge of the woods and pointed. Sheriff Sheldon said investigators walked about 60 feet into the woods and found a woman's body.

The sheriff said the body had been in the woods since about June.

As for the identity of the woman found dead in the woods, the sheriff is confident they know who she is, but would not tell us her identity or whether she had been reported missing, until family are notified.

Ashland police, along with the Ashland County Sheriff's Office, Ashland County Prosecutor's Office, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, are investigating the Ashland scene.

The Ashland County Prosecutor's Office expects a criminal complaint to be filed sometime Thursday in the case.

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