(YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio) -- As part of his Ohio Unsolved Homicides Initiative, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is asking for information regarding a 2008 homicide at a Youngstown automotive repair shop.
John Cotton was shot to death inside Cotton's Automotive Repair Shop in Youngstown on May 22, 2008.
According to information submitted to the Ohio Attorney General's Unsolved Homicides Database, Cotton left his McGuffey Road business that morning to go to a junk yard on Atkinson Street. Later that evening, neighbors noticed the victim's pickup truck parked in front of the shop, but no one answered the business door.
Police later discovered Cotton's body inside the office of the business.
Investigators are continuing their efforts to locate anyone who may have information regarding this homicide.
"We urge anyone who knows anything about this case to contact detectives with the Youngstown Police Department," said Attorney General DeWine. "There are thousands of unsolved homicides in Ohio, and we want victims' families to know that we haven't forgotten about them."
Attorney General DeWine's Ohio Unsolved Homicides Initiative was developed in September 2012 in an effort to create a statewide database of the approximately 5,000 unsolved killings in the state. So far, 66 law enforcement agencies have submitted 1,343 unsolved homicide cases to the database.
The goal of the initiative is to bring widespread visibility to cases, increase the possibility for tips, and help jurisdictions compare details of unsolved crimes.
Those with information on this or any other unsolved homicide can also contact the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) at 855-BCI-OHIO or submit a tip through the Ohio Attorney General's website.
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Additional Resources:
Ohio Unsolved Homicides Database
John Cotton Database Entry
Media Contacts:
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Jill Del Greco: 614-466-3840