Ronald E Pohl

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Meigs County Sheriffs Office (OH)

Offense Location:

Dayton, Ohio

Summary:

Ronald E Pohl, 57, a Dayton, Ohio resident and avid hunter, was fatally shot with buckshot in the back at close range on May 9, 1992, while hunting turkey in Meigs County. His son heard gunshots and called for help when Pohl failed to emerge from the woods. The case remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

On May 9, 1992, Ronald Pohl traveled from the Dayton area to Salem Township in Meigs County, Ohio to hunt turkey with his son, Mike. The two men entered the woods together that morning but separated to hunt at different locations on the property, near Price-Strong Road. Pohl's son, who was hunting some distance away on the opposite side of the property, heard a gunshot between 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., followed by three to four more shots approximately fifteen minutes later. After Pohl failed to leave the woods at the planned time of noon, his son was unable to locate him and called for help. A search party found Ronald Pohl's body in the woods struck by buckshot in the back at close range.

Additional Details:

Meigs County Sheriff Keith Wood, who was an Ohio Division of Wildlife officer at the time, was part of the search party that located Pohl's body. The case remained unsolved for over 22 years. In May 2014, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine added the Ronald Pohl case to his Ohio Unsolved Homicides Initiative to increase public awareness and generate leads. Sheriff Wood stated at that time that the case had haunted him through the years and he still held hope it would be solved. Pohl's son Matthew gave a statement noting that Ronald Pohl had six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren who never had the opportunity to know him, and the family expressed their desire for answers about what happened and why. As of the most recent available information, the case remains open and unsolved.

Case Last Updated:

Apr 23, 2026