33-Year-Old Missing Avon Lake Man Found Dead in Cuyahoga River
A family is grieving the loss of their son and brother, Vincent J. Zimmer, whose body was found in the Cuyahoga River near the Carter Road Lift Bridge in Cleveland.
Cleveland Police confirmed the 33-year-old Avon Lake man, who had been reported missing by his mother, Cathy Zimmer, over a week ago, was discovered by Cleveland Division of Fire crews around 10 a.m. Thursday. His body was spotted by a city worker walking along the bridge, prompting a response from police, fire, and EMS teams to recover him from the water.
According to the police report, Vincent had last been seen on October 21, and no one had been able to reach him since. Cathy Zimmer told police her son recently inherited $60,000 from his late father, and on October 20, he withdrew $5,000 from his bank account. Cathy stated that Vincent was last seen with his girlfriend, who lives in Cleveland.
Police conducted a welfare check at the girlfriend’s residence but found no sign of him. Social media posts suggested that Vincent and his girlfriend might have been staying at her mother’s house. However, when officers went to investigate, no one answered the door.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office will now determine the cause of death. “We learned it was a missing person from Avon Lake, and we are standing by until the ME’s Office establishes a cause,” said Sergeant Freddy Diaz, adding that the outcome of the examination will guide the next steps in the investigation.
