The body of an Ohio mother was tragically discovered on a conveyor belt at a recycling facility.
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In a news release, the
Summit County Sheriff's Office shared that deputies responded to Kimble Recycling in Twinsburg Township on Nov. 3 after employees found a body inside the facility.The sheriff's office said a woman was found on a conveyor belt used to process delivered recyclables. The 55-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. The Summit County Medical Examiner identified the woman as Billie Jo Douglas, of Akron, on Nov. 4.
"The autopsy examination has been completed. The cause of death and manner of death are pending at this time," the medical examiner explained in a statement.
Brooke Harris, Douglas' daughter, revealed to local outlet WOIO that her mother was homeless at the time of her death. She told the outlet that she had pleaded with her mother to stay with her in the past, but her mother refused.
"My mom was a very good woman," Harris went on to tell WOIO. "She cared for everybody. When her parents died, she helped everybody with that money... but she was a good mother to me."
Daughter of Woman Found Dead on Recycling Facility Conveyor Belt Says She Last Saw Her Mother Earlier This Week
Meanwhile, Harris learned of her mother's death while she was at work, adding that she had seen her two days before. She went on to speculate that her mother climbed into a dumpster to sleep. Harris believes the dumpster was emptied into a collection truck and taken to the facility.
Harris told WOIO that she's grappling with guilt in the wake of her mother's death.
"I feel guilty; I feel very, very guilty because I feel like I should have protected my mother," Harris admitted to the outlet. "I saw her Sunday before I went to work at the bus stop... and I waved at her, and that was the last time I seen her."
Harris added that she had one final regret.
"I should have gave her a hug, and I didn't."
Harris also wants measures put in place to avoid incidents like the one that apparently befell her mother.
"These abandoned buildings that Akron has out here. I understand they don't want people sleeping in them, but I feel like it would be safer for them to sleep in abandoned buildings instead of finding dumpsters," Harris insisted. "I think the trash people or recycling people should look into the dumpsters before they empty them or have the company's mandatory put locks on them and the only person that has keys or access to them is the facility of the companies."
Summit County Sheriff's Office's investigation into the incident is ongoing.
