A 41-year-old man found inside a burned home in Rootstown Township had been shot in the head, and deputies are now searching for his missing car.
Bryan Patrick Burns, of 4790 Smith Ave., was discovered after firefighters responded to a 911 call at 7:50 a.m. Wednesday.
The residence was filled with smoke when firefighters arrived. Once the fire was extinguished, Burns’ body was found during a check of the interior.
The Portage County Sheriff’s Office requested the assistance of the Ohio State Fire Marshal and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation..
On Thursday, the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Officer did an autopsy and determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the head. The death was ruled a homicide by the Portage County Coroner’s Office.
Deputies are requesting the public’s assistance in locating Burns’ vehicle, which is missing from the residence.
The car is a 2001 Ford Mustang, silver, with the Ohio license GIX6026. The vehicle has damage to the left front (driver’s side) fender.
Sheriff David Doak is strongly urging the public to take no action on their own if they observe the vehicle other than to contact the Portage County Sheriff’s Office at 330-296-5100, ext. 0, or their local law enforcement agency. Anyone associated with the vehicle should be considered armed and dangerous.
According to a 2010 Beacon Journal story, Burns was sentenced to six months in jail after admitting to beating a developmentally disabled woman after a day of drinking because she interrupted his video game. He also told authorities he was being treated for schizophrenia.
Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/paulaschleis.