Model Link In Lanci Case?
By ANNIE DIMMICKArticle Photos
MOUNDSVILLE - Could a 22-year-old New York man who was found dead in rural Marshall County have been lured to the Ohio Valley with promises of a modeling career by a questionable company?
That's one question on the minds of investigators searching for answers in the mysterious death of Leo Lanci.
According to Marshall County Sheriff John Gruzinskas, the official cause of Lanci's death has been ruled "undetermined" by a medical anthropologist. While that ruling has complicated the investigation, Gruzinskas said investigators are vigorously pursuing any leads and looking into the remote possibility that purported modeling agencies in Weirton and Steubenville, both owned by the same person, may have had some contact with him before his death.
While tips have been few, Gruzinskas said his investigators have been in contact with the Steubenville and Weirton police departments as well as the Hancock County Sheriff's Department about the possible Weirton and Steubenville connection.
"So far, we have not been able to make that link," Gruzinskas said, noting there still are no suspects and there is no conclusive evidence that Lanci had any contact with either agency.
He said an investigation is continuing.
Steubenville Police Chief Bill McCafferty confirmed a modeling agency involved in the investigation claimed to have operated out of Steubenville, and that his office has received a call about suspicious activity there.
"A gentleman had called the city manager and said his son was coming to Pittsburgh Airport to meet with a representative" of the agency, McCafferty said.
McCafferty noted the address listed on the company's Web site at the time actually is occupied by a different Steubenville business. McCafferty said he has spoken with a representative of the purported agency and informed that representative of the call from the parent.
"I said, 'I've got some guy telling me he gave his son $500 to pay for modeling,'" McCafferty said, noting the prospective model did not meet with the representatives.
He said since then, the company's address on the Web site has changed, and the business now claims to operate out of Panama. He said the business claims to have contacts in the fashion world. He added that, so far, there is no evidence any crime has been committed in connection with the agency.
"I think this is a scam,"McCafferty said.
The Intelligencer called the phone number listed on the agency's Web site during its listed business hours; however, only a recorded message was available, saying the agency was experiencing a "high volume of calls."
Gruzinskas said the person who claims to own the agency also owns or has owned a modeling agency based in Weirton that has been accused of taking money from young models after promising them money and a career.
In Lanci's case, investigators know Lanci left New York on Dec. 1 on a Greyhound bus headed for Los Angeles, but he ended up in Cambridge, Ohio, the next day.
In Cambridge, he called his father and told him he wanted to come home. While investigators said a friend of Lanci's claims Lanci returned to New York in February to get a skateboard, family members did not hear from him during that trip.
On May 13, Lanci's body was found in a remote location off of Round Bottom in Marshall County. He was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt, had only $26 in cash and an unactivated credit card in his wallet and his father's 1-carat diamond ring in his pocket.
A medical examiner determined Lanci died where his body was found and that the body had been there for about two months before it was discovered.
What they don't know is why he came here and, most importantly, how he died.
Gruzinskas said the recent report from the medical anthropologist does complicate the investigation, as an "undetermined" ruling leaves little room for suspicion. However, he added that, in the report, the anthropologist ruled out every possible cause of death - except suffocation.
"We still are actively pursuing this case," Gruzinskas said.
He said deputies soon will be going to local businesses and establishments to post new crime bulletins about Lanci's case. He said the bulletins will include a different photo of Lanci than has been used in the past.
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EllisWyatt
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09-13-08 8:52 AM
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I think Karl Rove was to blame. Either that, or GW Bush was behind a conspiracy to keep young men from New York from coming to West Virginia to star in gay ****. It might also have been the one-armed man or Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with a candlestick.
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ElmGroveMan
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09-12-08 5:35 PM
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there still has not been any hard evidence this was a murder only circumstantial. The coroner even has determined that his death has been ruled undetermined. Maybe they are looking for something that really did not happen.
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hope4valley
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09-12-08 4:14 PM
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The Marshall County sheriff was on radio yesterday and mentioned this lead. He didn't sound as if it was a great lead, but that they are looking in all directions possible. He also discussed the mental health issues and admitted that his department still is in the dark.
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rockdrummer
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09-12-08 11:53 AM
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You mean no one is going to blame the Wheeling council for this?
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acousticportal
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09-12-08 9:01 AM
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A former article disclosed that this gentleman suffered from schizophrenia...if this is true, there may be no rhyme or reason for any behavior or locale...
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Rusty1
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09-12-08 8:13 AM
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Why would a person from New York come to West Virginia for a modeling job of all things? Nonsense.
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JaymeJones
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09-12-08 7:03 AM
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Poor kid. Too young to die.
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