CLEVELAND (CelebrityAccess) — Law enforcement officials in Ohio announced that a body discovered in 1982 has finally been identified as the human remains of Frank “Frankie” Little Jr. an early member of the R&B group The O’Jays.
According to a press release from the Twinsburg Police Department, Little’s remains were identified through genealogical research conducted by DNA Doe Project, which works to identify unknown murder victims.
Part of Little’s remains were found in a garbage bag behind a business in Twinsburg along with a human skull that was located about 60 feet away. The remains showed of stabbing, blunt force trauma, and postmortem fire, and had been dismembered before being place in a garbage bag.
The death has been classified as a homicide by Dr. Lisa Kohler of the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office, who also independently confirmed the identity of the remains.
A native of Cleveland, Frank served as a guitarist and songwriter for the O’Jays in the early years of the group, contributing to writing for hits such as “Do The Jerk,” “Down at the Corner,” and “Oh, How You Hurt Me,” among others.
The details of Little’s disappearance are murky at best. According to the Twinsburg Police Department, Little was last known to reside in the area of E 105th and Superior Ave. in Cleveland, and it is believed he was last alive in the mid-1970s.
“Frankie was a guitarist and songwriter in the very early O’Jays,” the band said in a statement provided to Rolling Stone. “He came with us when we first ventured out of Cleveland and traveled to Los Angeles, but he also was in love with a woman in Cleveland that he missed so much that he soon returned back to Cleveland after a short amount of time. That was in the mid 1960s and we had not heard from him after then. Although this sounds like a tragic ending, we wish his family and friends closure to what appears to be a very sad story.”
Law enforcement officials have re-opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Little’s death.
