Authorities in Cleveland have brought charges against a woman in connection with the murder of her boyfriend after the victim was reported missing in November 2024, before his body was found in a river in May 2025.
In a statement, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said that on July 21, 2025, the suspect, identified as Dy’mond Vaden, 32, was ultimately arrested in connection with 32-year-old George Cox Jr.’s murder.
Authorities said that Vaden and Cox were sharing an apartment near Bosworth Road and Peony Avenue in Cleveland when the deceased victim’s relatives reported him missing on November 8, 2024.
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The statement said that Cox’s last known communication happened on or around October 19, 2024. Officers with the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) ultimately went to the couple’s residence to conduct a welfare check.
“Officers observed a vacant apartment with little to no furniture and what appeared to be blood on the floor. Further investigation confirmed it was Cox’s blood and Vaden was no longer living at the residence,” the statement said.
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Authorities said that Cox’s body was found by two people kayaking on the Huron River in Erie County on May 15, 2025. The two individuals noticed Cox’s body had been tied with a rope and wrapped in a bed sheet. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO) ultimately arrived at the scene after the two individuals got in touch with law enforcement, the statement said, adding that the deceased was ultimately identified as Cox.
“Further investigation revealed Cox’s blood was found on clothing items recovered from Vaden’s residence and the bed sheet Cox was wrapped in matched sheets found in their shared residence,” the statement said. “Additionally, DNA evidence and phone records linked her to the crime.”
Authorities said Vaden was sharing a new residence with a suspect identified as Emmanuel McQueen Jr., 41, when she was arrested. Law enforcement officials found a firearm at the home when the arrest was executed, and authorities said Vaden and McQueen were under disability at the time.
Vaden has since been charged with two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, one count of tampering with evidence, one count of gross abuse of a corpse, and one count of having a weapons under disability.
McQueen, on the other hand, has been charged with one count of having a weapons under disability.
“George Cox Jr.’s family has waited for answers, and today they are one step closer to justice,” O’Malley said in the statement. “Fortunately for his family and the State of Ohio, CDP Homicide detectives are well-trained and smarter than Dy’mond Vaden thinks.”
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