COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a renewed effort to solve the 2009 homicide of 85-year-old Army Sgt. Maj. (Ret.) North Woodall, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) has been called upon to conduct a cold case review, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today.
Yost, speaking on the significance of the case, urged the public to come forward with any new information. “The military has an ethos that you don’t leave a teammate behind,” Yost said. “We’re hoping that someone, especially as we approach Veterans Day, will remember something — a detail, a conversation, or an observation — that could bring justice to this American hero.”
Woodall, a highly decorated veteran who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, was found murdered in his Dayton home on Walton Avenue on July 27, 2009. Despite investigators collecting crucial evidence, including fingerprints and DNA from the crime scene, the case went cold after initial leads failed to produce a suspect.
Now, 15 years later, the Dayton Police Department, in partnership with BCI’s Cold Case Unit, is revisiting the investigation in the hopes of uncovering new evidence. The DNA collected from the scene has been submitted to CODIS, the FBI’s national Combined DNA Index System, to search for a match.
Dayton Police Major Brian Johns expressed the department’s commitment to solving the case. “All murders are tragedies, but this one is particularly heartbreaking given Mr. Woodall’s service to our country,” Johns said. “Especially as we near Veterans Day, we hope to bring closure to his family and honor his legacy.”
Authorities are urging anyone with information related to the case to come forward. Tips can be submitted by calling 855-BCI-OHIO (855-224-6446) or reported online.
