California man killed in Cleveland was shot in the head and back

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office released the identity of a man found shot to death Friday behind a home on the city's East Side.

Nicholas A. Rowe, 31, of Chula Vista, California was found dead in the back yard of an abandoned house in the 11000 block of Iowa Avenue.

Rowe died of multiple gunshot wounds to the head and the back. The death is considered a homicide, the medical examiner said.

Police were called to the home about 12:40 p.m. to follow up on a report of a missing person report. The officer noticed that a portion of the backyard was recently disturbed as if someone dug a hole.

The officer called for a police cadaver dog, and Rowe's body was found buried in the yard. Police also retrieved a handgun.

Cleveland police have not said whether there is a suspect in the shooting.

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