Medina teenager's death declared a homicide

BRUNSWICK HILLS TWP. — Medina resident Christion Olson's death on July 13 was recently ruled a homicide. Brunswick Hills Police Chief Tim Sopkovich said Olson was 18 years old and recently graduated from Medina High School. Olson was at a gathering with six of his friends, and in the evening a lot of his friends left, Sopkovich said. Olson then left the residence, and approximately 30 minutes later, his friends found him lying on the tree lawn near Topaz Lane in Brunswick Hills. "He did have some injuries on him, and he wanted to just go home," Sopkovich said. "At no time did he state how he was injured to his friends." His friends took him to his residence in Medina, and he needed medical attention, Sopkovich said. Medina police and EMS responded after 911 was called, and they took him to the hospital where he later died. "The city of Medina initially took the investigation, and during their interviews they determined the incident possibly occurred in Brunswick Hills," Sopkovich said. "It was turned over to our department, and our department has conducted numerous search warrants, interviewed numerous people, witnesses, possibly." The official autopsy report was done by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office, and it was then sent to Medina County Coroner Lisa Deranek, he said. Deranek reviewed the report and declared Olson's death a homicide. The investigation is still open, Sopkovich said. Anyone with more information related to the case is encouraged to contact Brunswick Hills police at (330) 273-3722. "We've been working on this case since July, and we're still working on it," he said. "We're waiting for a lot of our evidence that has been sent out, like digital evidence, and trace evidence to come back. That's where we're at with the case right now." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.