Hannah was a Southeastern High School graduate, where he earned national awards and recognition for an anti-bullying program that he and a classmate developed.
The person of interest has been identified as Cornelius Davon Brogan, 29, the last person known to have contact with Hannah, police said in a released statement Monday.
Brogan is incarcerated in Logan County Kentucky for assault on a police officer, according to police.
Montgomery County Municipal Court records show Brogan’s address in December 2021 as the Dundee home, but Kentucky booking records state his residency as Dayton.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office Monday afternoon did not provide an estimated date on which Hannah died. The death occurred most likely Sunday, but possibly very late Saturday, Riverside Maj. Matthew Sturgeon said in an email.
Credit: Logan County (Kentucky) Detention Center
Credit: Logan County (Kentucky) Detention Center
Hannah and his friend, Tyler Gregory, became known as the NoBull Guys for their program that began nearly a decade ago at Southeastern and was considered a pioneer for peer-led anti-bullying efforts. Hannah and Gregory traveled around the country to speak at schools about the effects of bullying.
“It’s the best feeling in the world, knowing that we’ve helped someone like that or knowing that we’ve changed the lives of bullies to be more aware or help open their eyes,” Hannah said in a 2013 Springfield News-Sun story.
They appeared on TV on the Today Show and the Steve Harvey Show.
He later attended Wright State University and championed the anti-bullying program there.
Southeastern Superintendent David Shea said of Hannah’s death, “It’s a great loss to the community.”
His family is still in South Charleston and well connected to the school and community, Shea said.
“It is a very difficult time when you lose someone, especially as young as he was,” the superintendent said.
Brogan was booked into the Kentucky facility about 10 p.m. Sunday and is being held on a $500,000 bond, Logan County Detention Center records show. He was scheduled for a court date Monday afternoon, according to the center’s website.
Aside from the officer assault charge, Brogan is also being held on disarming a peace officer, resisting arrest, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia buy/possess, according to records.
When Riverside police are ready to present charges, they will do with the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office, Sturgeon said. If they are accepted, warrants would be issued and served on Brogan in Kentucky, he added.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation assisted with processing evidence at the scene in the case, Riverside’s third homicide investigation this year, police said. BCI is the investigative agency for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
BCI was requested to assist Riverside and the police department is the lead agency in the investigation, according to Bethany McCorkle, communications director for the attorney general’s office.
Officers were called to the scene around 5:50 p.m. Sunday. Police responded after Hannah’s friends reported he was not answering calls and texts on Sunday, Sturgeon said.
The last homicide in Riverside was May 8 in a shooting on U.S. 35, Sturgeon said. Another occurred on Richland Avenue, when the victim and the suspect were both shot and killed, Sturgeon added.
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