UPDATE: A body found in Chippewa Lake outside Medina, Ohio, has been identified as Bryon Macron. A kayaker discovered the body and alerted authorities. According to NBC affiliate WKYC, there was no sign of blunt force trauma, no poison or drugs in his system. He was not shot or strangled, and he also did not have water in his lungs. The cause of death remains “undetermined,” according to WKYC.
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It's a terrifying scene. A reliable county official and father of three disappears.
Blood is discovered in his office and SUV.
No other signs of what may have happened.
And now 10 days have passed, but Bryon Macron remains missing.
"Somebody knows something," Darren Macron, Bryon's younger brother, told Dateline. "There is this gut feeling that we have that something is wrong."
Bryon, 45, was last seen the morning of Friday, December 16 at his family's home in Medina County, Ohio. He headed out that morning for work, nothing seemingly amiss.
But then deputies responded to the Township Administration Building around 7:30 a.m. on a suspicious circumstances call, according to the Medina County Sheriff's Office.
Bryon's office there was found in a state of disarray with items strewn everywhere. There were signs of a struggle, blood on the floor, and the office was found unlocked with the lights on, according to local NBC affiliate WKYC. Several hours later, Bryon's black Chevy Equinox SUV was found in a public parking lot several miles from the township building and his family's home.
Blood was also found inside the SUV, according to authorities, but Bryon was no where to be found.
The case has sent shockwaves through the community, especially during a time usually filled with festivities. Bryon, a former Marine, is a married father of three daughters. He is a national sales manager for a jewelry manufacturing and wholesale company. He is a football coach at the local high school.
Family and friends describe him as a dependable family man who is "able to take care of himself." He would never just disappear, they said.
"He is the perfect father and a dedicated husband. This is why we're so blown away by this," Bryon's brother Darren told Dateline. "Something had to have happened. It's not him."
The possibilities of the case are seemingly endless, many sinister and unimaginable. Rumors have risen varying from some type of robbery to Bryon's elected position and recent developments in the community. Although each is simply speculation right now, there are areas family members want to be closely examined.
"You go from one extreme idea to the next," Heath Hewson, Bryon's cousin, told Dateline. "Who could this involve? Is there more to this? We just don't know."
The FBI is assisting in the case, which has given the family more hope.
"I'll just say I'm putting my faith in the FBI," Bryon's brother Darren said.
Bryon's disappearance has brought back memories of another mysterious missing person case from the area. In 1985, Hinckley Township Police Chief Mel Wiley vanished. His vehicle was found parked at Lakefront State Park in Cleveland with his wallet, credit cards and police identification left inside. In the more than 30 years since, few details have emerged in the case despite extensive searches.
Authorities have said there is no indication the two cases are connected in any way.
Yellow ribbons adorn the mailboxes and poles across Medina County, as the community comes together to support the Macron family during what can only be described as a heartbreaking and terrifying holiday season for them.
Bryon's family has remained relatively quiet since his disappearance outside of a statement released by his wife Victoria late last week.
But as the days have passed with little new information out there, they just want whoever may know something, no matter how insignificant it may appear, to report it.
"Something is going on here," Bryon's brother Darren told Dateline. "He needs to be brought home and we'll do whatever we have to to make that happen."
Bryon Macron is described as 6'1" tall, weighing 290 lbs. with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information regarding his case is urged to call the Medina County Sheriff's Office at (330) 725-6631 or Sgt. Kevin Ross at (330) 725-9116.
