Authorities ID body found nearly 43 years ago in Mahoning River, ask public for leads in other cold cases

For nearly 43 years, all we knew about the remains of a white male pulled from the Mahoning River in Youngstown was that the body was clad in a green, short-sleeved button-down shirt, brown slacks, brown socks, and brown buckle shoes.

Now, thanks to dogged detective work by the Youngstown Police Department and the assistance of forensic scientists, those remains now have a name.

During a press conference on Wednesday, police announced that the man found by the fire department 100 feet from the Market Street Bridge on June 29, 1980 has been identified as Ralph Coffman.

Investigators believe Coffman was a victim of drowning and no foul play was involved in his death.

Coffman, who lived upstream from where his body was discovered, was 55-years-old at the time.

Surviving family members in Ohio and the Carolinas have been notified.

With this case solved, YPD officers are using it as an opportunity to try and solve three more cold cases. 

Delores Donoghue, Samantha Joseph and Kimberly Wilson-Talley have been missing in the area for extended periods of time with no sign of them to trace. Police are hoping to gain more leads from the public of the three separate disappearance cases. 

“We’re looking to have those family members, do a DNA kit and upload that information into GEDmatch just incase if their loved ones are not within the Youngstown, Ohio area,” Detective Sgt. Dave Sweeney said. “Or if they are an unidentified person throughout the United States.”

The Mahoning County Sheriff's Office is also looking for help solving a case of a Jane Doe. The white female was found dead in 1976 in a ditch on South Range Road in Smith Township. She’s described as 6ft 2in and 180lbs. They ask that anyone with information on this case contact the sheriff's office at 330-480-5009.