Couple charged for dumping body of woman who overdosed
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) – Two people are facing felony charges in connection with the discovery of a Dover woman’s body alongside a Goshen Township road.
Cekoyia Riechers, 25, and Daniel Fitzgerald, 38, are charged with gross abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and failing to report a death. Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Detective Lt. Adam Fisher says they admitted to dumping the body of 38-year-old Amber Sherell along White Bridge Road on Oct. 26, days after her death from a drug overdose at Riechers’ home on Johnson Avenue in Dover.
“During the interview specifically with Cekoyia, she admitted to being in close proximity to Amber when the overdose had actually occurred. During that time of the emergency, she called her boyfriend, Daniel Fitzgerald for some assistance, and then to two of them together rather than call police attempted to cover up the incident and then ultimately dumped Amber’s body.”
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office performed the autopsy and determined that Sherrell died from the combined toxic effects of multiple drugs including fentanyl, oxycodone, and methamphetamine. Fitzgerald is being held in the Lorain County Jail in an unrelated case. It’s not yet known when he and Riechers will make their initial court appearances.