| Human remains were found at the scene of a small structure fire near Ball’s Bluff Regional Park in Leesburg Aug. 23. The Sheriff’s office suspects homicide. -Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Beverly Denny |
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The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the slaying of a woman whose remains were found Aug. 23 near Ball’s Bluff Regional Park in Leesburg.
Cornelia M. Arnold |
The woman has been identified as Cornelia Maria Arnold, 52, of Leesburg. She had been reported missing shortly before her remains were found.
Loudoun County Sheriff Steve Simpson said that he believes Arnold lived with her husband and one of two daughters.
Leesburg Police and Loudoun County Fire-Rescue personnel were called to the 42300 block of Balls Bluff Road shortly after 5:45 p.m. for a small structure fire. Arnold’s remains were discovered at the scene near a burnt down run-in shed, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Kraig Troxell said.
A run-in shed is a structure with three walls, a roof and no door.
After the remains were discovered, the Loudoun County Fatal Fire Arson Task Force went to the scene. The Sheriff’s Office and the Loudoun County Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the case at the request of the Leesburg Police Department, Troxell said.
Investigators are trying to determine the cause and manner of death, Troxell said.
At a press conference Aug. 24, Simpson said investigators are still trying to determine whether the woman was killed at the scene or if she was killed, then taken to the scene.
Simpson also said that investigators have interviewed Arnold’s family and that her home was searched late Aug. 23.
According to Chris Jones, spokesman for the Leesburg Police Department, a family member of Arnold called to report her missing shortly after 5 p.m. Aug. 23.
The caller spoke with a dispatcher about the process of reporting someone missing but declined to file a missing person report.
Simpson said that he believes the person who killed Arnold had been down the gravel road to the crime scene before.
“It would have have to be someone familiar with the area,” Simpson said.
“You would kind of have to know [the shed] was back here to get back here.”
While he said he doesn’t believe the crime was random, all leads are being investigated.
“We’re not ruling anybody out now,” Simpson said.
Still no word of what happened to her? I wish we knew.
I’m sure there will be a follow up when they are sure about the facts, and they are ready, but lets not blame this on the illegals, a lot of those people are just trying to take care of their family’s,I’m more than sure there is just as many American people committing crimes.A bad person is just a bad person regardless of citizenship or race.I think the most important thing is that the person who did this is caught and brought to justice and this family can begin the healing process.
And yet we still allow ILLEGALS to erect tent cities in any “unused” area in the County. There is no way to track these people, no addresses to go to, no licenses for identification. They sculk around without detection. Start by dealing with the “tarp cities”, start letting police dogs run through public parks after dark and running people out of there and crime will go down. We have to run ppl off our property all the time, they think they have right to “stay” on it because there are woods on it. They come up from the waterway and pitch their tarp. When we call the police, they just tell them to leave. WHY, because the intruders don’t speak English.
GET RID OF THE VAGRANTS, you will lower the crime.
Vagrancy and loitering used to be crimes…...should be again.
Why is there no follow-up on a story where a woman is murdered and her body dumped just down the street from her house? My instinct tells me this is domestic. If it’s not, there’s a killer running free in Leesburg and I want to know what the police are doing about it.
I know this family personally, my thoughts and prayers are with them dearly :(
Leesburg Mom, what is up with you. We have two tragedies, and you want to play games, by claiming a cover-up is in play. I don’t know what the best words are to describe someone like you, but be assured, they are nothing good.
Two bodies found close together at the same time? Um, that’s no coincidence. The male just graduated from high school and the woman was the mom of two daughters. Did the male date one of the daughters? Did the mother interfer? Hello police? Why is this story suddenly so hush-hush??
Arnold family…our thoughts and prayers are with you. Though your mother’s life on this earth ended tragically, she is now beginning a new experience and is truly at peace. She will always be with you. Of this I am certain. And, someday you will be with her again. Remember what you loved best about her and carry that with you until that time. Love you, S. Heart aches for you right now. Come stay with us if you need to get away. We’ll be in our new home by mid-Sep. Thinking of you…
i want to thank those who were commenting and really cared that this was a real person and not just something to make rude comments about or “make funnys” this was the mother of a good friend of mine i hope the person is caught and brought to justice and peace can come back to my friends home
This was the FIRST HOMICIDE in Loudoun this year. I’m not saying that there is no crime but JEEZ. I’m sure any area has a higher crime rate than 10 years before, and I’ll bet that most of it is due to gangs.
The young man found was a friend of my son! And the two incidents have nothing to do with each other! He was a sweet young man who just graduated in june! My thoughts and prayers are with his family! You other stupid people should get the facts before u say anything!
@Noneya I just moved out of Loudoun. What about the Home invasions? What about The person found dead in Ashburn? What about the Couple who was brutally beaten near Lansdowne? and the stabbings and now the suspicious death of this woman. There has been too much crime happening in Loudoun County.
and don’t forget the gun-men who held those two elderly folks hostage in SW Lsbg last summer.
sorry, at this time the police are saying there is no direct tie in the two cases. i don’t want to speculate or guess when people’s lives are impacted.
so now a man’s body has been found in the same park?!?!? maybe murder suicide?
hmmm, a family member called to find out how to report a missing person. Ding ding ding. We have the killer.
Blessings for the family of the victim. This is a shame, and may the perpetrator be caught!
You never know what you will hear from day to day…this is sad.
Crime has increased a good bit.
Don’t forget the Bennetts. I know that was Lansdowne but that is right on the edge of Leesburg. There has been a huge increase in crime since we moved to Loudoun almost 10 years ago. It’s sad.
“sickofstupid” I guess you are sick of yourself then. This is exactly what I was talking about when we had the serial stabbings. Loudoun may be the richest county, but it is also one of the higest taxed county with no justification.
I live in Leesburg, and with the exception of this incident and the serial stabber, we haven’t seen an increase in crime, really. But you’re right, parts of Loudoun (Sterling) has a lot of assaults, gang activity, etc.
@peoplearestupid - I love how ridiculous you find these off-topic postings and how irritating they appear to you. Yet ALL of your posts to this story were exactly that - off-topic and therefore presumably of the type that irritate you.
Keep yelling “stop doing what I’m doing” and maybe people will stop. Then again…
People are ridiculous, newspapers are ridiculed.
Okay China Clipper… this has wasted enough of my time and energy. I accomplished my mission with this story post. Reply back with a sarcastic message and get a few people roused up with a never ending slew of ignorant comments….everytime I read the LTM, there are more and more insensitive comments that have nothing to do with the actual news topic. LTM, you need to review these things before you post them! I have been reading this paper for years and it’s getting ridiculous.
Somewhere, someone is missing a family member. Hopefully they will be able to identify the victim. And, it does appear as if Leesburg and eastern Loudoun are seeing an increase in crime.
@sickofstupidpeople - ha?
I’m assuming you may have intended that as a humorous jab?
Or maybe that was just another one of your ignorant posts. So many of them…
@CC Why didnt’t you just ramble off “Peter Piper Picked a peck of pickled peppers” ! How long did it take you to think of that Rambo?
@sickofstupidpeople - I wasn’t offended by your comment in the least. I found it ironic that you complain about ignorant comments by making a comment that is both ignorant of the context they were referring to and pointless except to point out how you considered the previous posts pointless.
*yawn*...you bore me Anthony. Actually, HFord made a funny!
Good one. You should totally quit yours.
@Anthony…don’t quit your day job
“Rampant Murders and Arson”? Huh? Industrial city?
i guess sicko doesn’t get jokes. that explains a lot. Must be from Arlington. Too much hair gel, almost certainly.
Maybe its Jimmy Hoffa
Anthony is obviously a bit on the “slow” side ...who the hell writes a comment about a Nancy Drew comic.
Barbara,
I believe the “when did Loudoun become Detroit” is in reference to the rampant murders and arson in that once thriving industrial city. I agree—a bit of a stretch.
go away sicko, if ya don’t like it then go back to reading your Nancy Drew comics.
@China Clipper Only a stupid person would take offense to that comment…dumb ass
After the next, after the next, after the next…
@sickofstupidpeople - Move please! Then at least we’ll have one less stupid person in Loudoun!
I think some of the stupidist people on the face of the earth live in Loudoun County…one ignorant comment after the next.
I’m not sure why people are asking about Detroit, but the Lions suck.
What does this article have to do with Detroit?
when did Loudoun become Detroit?