LEXINGTON, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—Authorities have confirmed that the body discovered near the Richland B&O Bike Trail in Lexington is that of 25-year-old James Beardsley Jr. from Polk. The identification was made via dental records during an autopsy conducted by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.
Beardsley had been reported missing on January 5, 2025, and was found on the morning of February 2, 2025, by a resident walking a dog. At the time of discovery, environmental conditions complicated the identification process.
The deceased was located approximately 60 feet west of the bike trail, in a raised area adjacent to a field in the 3400 block of South Mill Street. This area is about three miles from the Der Dutchman restaurant in Bellville, Ohio, where Beardsley’s car was discovered on January 8, 2025. Following his disappearance, law enforcement agencies conducted extensive searches of local hotels and the bike trail, utilizing ATVs, UTVs, and drones to scan nearby bodies of water.
Richland County Coroner’s Investigator Tom Stortz, who responded to the scene, reported that Beardsley’s body was found lying on his back, dressed appropriately for cold weather in a hooded sweatshirt, gloves, and tennis shoes. Reports indicated that the body appeared to have been at the location “for some time” and had been “frozen solid” due to sub-zero temperatures earlier in the month, which hindered immediate identification efforts.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding Beardsley’s disappearance and death are ongoing.