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The Sept. 25 shooting death of a two-year-old boy stunned a community and local authorities are awaiting word from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
The city police have called the shooting the result of an "accidental discharge of a firearm" on 139 N. Market St.
St. Clairsville Police Chief Matt Arbenz said there would be no additional reports in the near future as the investigation continues.
"I don't expect new information that is releasable for at least a few weeks if not longer," he said via email. "Out of regard to a family who is grieving terribly, no, there is nothing further to add at this time."
Belmont County Coroner Amanda Fisher spoke about the autopsy.
"From our side of things, we just wanted to make sure there were no other injuries that could have been possible, that could have contributed to the child's death, and the autopsy did confirm that the death was due to the gunshot wound," Fisher said. "We called Ohio BCI in. As soon as I arrived on scene I made sure that they had been called because I wanted to make sure that the scene was handled properly and everything was looked at."
However, Fisher said this means a delay in forensic results.
"With the investigation in the hands of St. Clairsville Police Department as well as Ohio BCI, everyone is kind of at the mercy of how fast Ohio BCI can process the material from the scene, and because Ohio BCI, they're charged with all of the state's scenes and processing all of the information from each scene that they're called to. It's not just an overnight process," she said.
Steven Irwin, spokesman for BCI, said the agency is working to process the crime scene, gather and document physical evidence as requested by local law enforcement. It is an active investigation and the agency is assisting the St. Clairsville police.
Meanwhile, Belmont County Department of Job and Family Services Director Jeff Felton said his office offers assistance.
"We need to make sure those other kids, that they're safe, and not get in law enforcement's way while they're trying to figure out what's going on," Felton said. "We would ensure that all kids if there's other children in the home, that they're safe as well."
He said his office also provides grief counseling.
"Without being a burden on the family. They just lost a two-year-old, and the fear of losing other children that they might have, losing custody, we don't need to add additional stress to them, to that whole family," Felton said.
"We'll put any supportive services in place, referrals," he said.
Felton also urged households to take precaution with firearms, particularly when children could be present.
"Make sure guns are stored safely locked up, ammunition is kept separately. We read about these accidents throughout the country but we never think it's going to hit home, so it's just kind of a reminder to everybody to really look at their homes to make sure it's safe, not just from guns, although guns are very lethal obviously, but any other threats to children's safety. Just kind of do a quick inspection of your home and make sure it's safe for children to be around.
"It's kind of a tough lesson to learn after the fact, but I think it should make everybody take pause and really take a look at their own home and make sure it's safe," Felton said.
Published reports have stated the child's siblings attend the Martins Ferry City Schools District. School officials have not responded to inquiries about any counseling provided to the younger students in the aftermath of the tragedy.