On June 26, 1968 in Bellaire Ohio, Jim Cummins owned a piece of property, two miles south of Bellaire, that was formerly the city dump. Some people were still depositing their rubbish there illegally and Cummins sent his son out to look through the garbage and see if he could find any clues that would indicate who had been doing the dumping. Instead, Cummins son would discover something out of a Stephen King novel.
“There were 6 skulls and what looked like the remnants of a 7th one, which was pretty well chopped up. ” Prosecutor John Malik stated “We have no idea how long they have been there or where they might have come from.”
Malik stated that the skulls were covered with skin and hair. All of the skulls contained teeth and 2 appeared to be African American (or “Negro” as Malik reported.) The prosecutor reported that one skull was possibly that of a young child.
The skulls all appeared to be those of males.
Cummins state that he smelled a preservative fluid when the heads were found, but the County coroner stated that the skulls were definitely not from a morgue or Indian burial ground as some had suggested.
The old time, true crime blotter 
I was born and raised in Bellaire, and I remember when this happened. I was eleven at the time.
Early summer 1968, The town recoiled at the possibilities of what could have resulted in such horror. The truth, as it turned out hit much closer to home than just being in my home town.
I was born and raised back in one of the “hollers,” that is, a steep creek valley feeding into the Ohio River, known as Brooks Run. About three miles out State Route 147 southwest of Bellaire, barely a mile from my childhood home, stood a small cottage on the creek bank. As often as our family drove by there, we had never seen anyone in or on that property.
This cottage, a small country retreat for an aged local doctor, turned out to be the source of the skulls. For whatever reason (I do not recall), the cottage was cleaned out, and the chattel, including the skulls kept in perhaps formaldehyde in tightly lidded cans, was dumped illegally at a dump just south of Bellaire, in another “holler” known as Pinch Run. The doctor has stored the skulls there for probably decades, leftovers from his medical studies.
Apparently, the truth didn’t make as much news as the discovery, as I’m having a hard time finding an internet source to verify this explanation.
Hi Randy!
What an amazing comment! Thanks for this. How fascinating! I am currently writing a book about a series of decapitation killings that took place during the 1930s, along the rails that snake through that area and all up into the northeast. I thought the discovery of the skulls might be related…but could never find anything else out about them.
Just love that you solved the mystery!
Some things never change, so of course the media is not going to report the mundane answer when the “mystery” makes for a better read. Would love to find out more about the “aged Doctor” and what his story was.
Contrary to popular belief…I have found that the “Good Old Days” weren’t all that great. There was plenty of mayhem and murder, you just didn’t read about it as much. Also contrary to popular belief…it was EASIER to get away with murder back then!
Lots of fascinating stories.
Glad to see that people are visiting this blog because I have many more “blotter” type news clippings that are equally as mysterious.
Doubt that any of them will be solved as this one was.
Thanks again!
Linda
Yep, national headlines dated June 24, 1968, trace the skulls to the estate of a local physician.
Fascinating!
Who was the doctor?
I did a little digging in Belmont County Ohio tax records and found that the doctor’s name was Leo D. Covert, MD. He purchased the property in 1926. Dr. Covert specialized “in diseases of the eyes, nose, and throat” which may explain the presence of the skulls as teaching or learning items. Stored away, then forgotten, only to be disposed of 40 -odd years later then discovered to cause a momentary national stir.
The property was recorded as Pultney Township Section 35 T.R. 2-2 Number 35, record number 26-00814.
Doctor info: http://files.usgwarchives.net/wv/marshall/bios/bioofcovert.txt
Property card: http://www.belcogis.com/cards/PUL/26-00814.000-31.pdf
The cabin from which the skulls were removed was razed decades ago, probably in the early 1970s, best I can remember.
I still can’t find definitive newspaper articles that revealed the truth of the grisly skull discovery, but I’m still looking.