Willie Clyde Worthy Jr., a 54-year-old African-American man, was known to be experiencing homelessness in the autumn of 2016. His life came to a violent and solitary end, and his body was discovered on Saturday, September 3, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. His death marked the city's 65th homicide of the year, leaving behind a mystery that still troubles investigators.
On that late summer morning, Columbus Police Department officers and medics were dispatched around 10:30 a.m. to a property on the 900 block of East Fulton Street. The call was grim: a report of a decomposing body found inside an abandoned home. The house, located in the historic Olde Towne East neighborhood, stood vacant and neglected, a silent witness to the tragedy within. Upon entering, first responders found the remains of a man, who was officially pronounced deceased at 10:41 a.m.
The Franklin County Coroner's Office later identified the man as Willie Worthy Jr. and determined the cause of death to be a homicide. An autopsy revealed that he had been shot twice, once in the head and once in the back. Due to the state of his body, authorities were unable to determine precisely how long he had been deceased inside the vacant house before he was found. The scene presented significant challenges for investigators, as the abandoned nature of the property complicated the search for forensic evidence.
The investigation into Willie Worthy’s murder was launched by the Columbus Police Department’s Homicide Unit. Detectives worked to piece together the final days and hours of his life, a difficult task given his transient circumstances. With no witnesses immediately coming forward and little physical evidence to guide them, the trail quickly grew cold. No suspects have ever been publicly identified, and a motive for the killing remains unknown.
Years later, the case is now classified as a cold case. It is listed on the Ohio Attorney General's Unsolved Homicides database, a public testament to the ongoing search for justice. The database, maintained by the state's Bureau of Criminal Investigation, serves to bring renewed attention to cases like Willie's, hoping that the passage of time may encourage someone with crucial information to finally speak up. The profile of his case states the basic facts, a stark summary of a life cut short.
The Olde Towne East neighborhood where Willie was found is one of Columbus's oldest, known for its mix of grand, historic homes and properties that have fallen into disrepair. The presence of vacant buildings can unfortunately provide secluded locations for violent crime, creating complex challenges for law enforcement. For the investigators and the community, the murder in the abandoned house on East Fulton Street is a reminder of the vulnerability of those living on the margins of society.
As of September 2016, the investigation into the murder of Willie Worthy Jr. remains open but inactive. Without new leads, detectives are reliant on the public's help to solve the case and provide a measure of closure for his family, wherever they may be. The Columbus Police Department and the Ohio Attorney General's Office urge anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward.
