Cleveland Police Search for Missing Maryland Father Last Seen Downtown After Steelers Browns Game as Body Is Pulled From the Cuyahoga River Near Jacobs Pavilion
CLEVELAND, OH — Cleveland police are looking for a 24-year-old Maryland father who vanished after a trip to Ohio for a football game. Phoenix Phillips, who lives in the Baltimore area and is the father of a 2-year-old boy, was last seen Friday, Oct. 2, in downtown Cleveland.
Police said Phillips had attended the Steelers-Browns game with a friend the night before, then became separated from that friend. Authorities have described the circumstances of his disappearance as concerning and are asking anyone with information to come forward.
Phillips was last seen in downtown Cleveland on Oct. 2
According to Cleveland police, Phillips has not been seen since he disappeared downtown. The exact time and place of his last confirmed sighting have not been made public, but investigators say he was in the city after the football game.
The missing man is described as 6 feet 1 inch tall and about 170 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Police said he was last seen wearing a gray hoodie, beige pants and white tennis shoes.
Family members and police are urging the public to watch for clues
The search has drawn attention because Phillips is a young father from Maryland with ties to the Baltimore area. FOX News reported that police have asked for the public’s help in tracking his movements after he separated from the friend he had traveled with.
Cleveland police told FOX News that they consider the circumstances concerning. Anyone who saw Phillips in downtown Cleveland or has other information about where he went after the game is being asked to contact Detective Price at 216-623-3073.
Body pulled from the Cuyahoga River remains under review
On Tuesday afternoon, the New York Post reported that a body was recovered from the Cuyahoga River near Jacobs Pavilion. Authorities have not said whether the recovery is connected to Phillips, and no identification has been released.
Police said the body will be taken to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. That examination could help determine who the person was and how they died, but officials have not announced any link to the missing father.
Autopsy and identification steps could clarify the case
The medical examiner’s review is now a key next step in the investigation. Until those results are released, police have not confirmed whether the body found in the river is related to the missing-person case.
Investigators have released Phillips’ physical description and clothing in hopes that someone may recognize him or recall where he may have gone after leaving downtown. For now, the case remains focused on locating him and collecting information from the public.
How the search is unfolding across Cleveland and Maryland
The disappearance has connected two communities: Phillips’ home area in Maryland and the downtown Cleveland area where he was last seen. The football trip brought him to Ohio, but police have not said what happened after he and his friend were separated.
Authorities have shared only a limited set of details while asking for tips. The public has been given Detective Price’s contact information, along with Phillips’ description, as officers continue to try to reconstruct his final known movements.
