A female Hocking College student died after being stabbed early this morning, prompting the first homicide investigation by Nelsonville police since 1993, police Chief David Redecker said.
Jodi Marie Blankenship, 21, of Burton, was found dead when Nelsonville police arrived at 269 Fort Street, the rented house she shared with six others, Redecker said.
The police department received a phone call and responded by 12:49 a.m., according to a news release.
The main suspect in the case is Blankenship's ex-boyfriend, 21-year-old Ronald Hendrickson II of Dayton, who also attends Hocking College and lived in the house, Redecker said.
Nelsonville police found Hendrickson in the house with a wound to the abdomen, and he was transported by helicopter to Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Redecker said.
Grant Medical Center would not release Hendrickson's medical status, and spokeswoman Janet Porter said his file was confidential.
Redecker said Hendrickson's condition was not life-threatening.
Nelsonville Police Sgt. Edward Kurtz said police are waiting on a call from the hospital to determine when Hendrickson will be released.
Hendrickson is a member of the National Ranger Training Institute, which prepares Hocking College students to be park rangers or obtain law enforcement positions, said Judy Sinnott, public information director at Hocking College.
Blankenship had finished a degree in culinary arts and was studying hotel and restaurant management, Sinnott said.
Ohio Revised Code states the punishment for a murder conviction as 15 years to life in prison. However, no charges have yet been filed in this case.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation is assisting Nelsonville police with the investigation, according to the news release.
The owners of the Fort Street house, KC Rentals, declined to comment.
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