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Two are indicted in death of Toronto woman

STEUBENVILLE — The Jefferson County grand jury returned murder indictments on Wednesday against two people in connection with the death of Stephanie Pytash, 35, who disappeared at the beginning of February.

Michael Shane, 49, of 408 Grant St., Toronto, and Summer R. Malyshev, 38, of 427 county Road 42, Toronto, were each indicted on single counts of murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

Sheriff Fred Abdalla said bone fragments found last week in a fire pit outside the house at 427 county Road 42, Toronto, belonged to Pytash.

Abdalla said Pytash was released from the county jail on Jan. 26. She was reported missing by her mother, Susan, a short time later.

Abdalla said he believes Pytash was strangled.

Deputies, the county drug task force, Toronto Police and the FBI investigated Pytash’s disappearance for months after she was reported missing. Drug task force members gathered information from the street, which led to Shane and Malyshev, also known as Summer McCartney.

The sheriff said the owner of the house is a long-distance trucker and wasn’t aware of what happened at the house.

Prosecutor Jane Hanlin said the investigation showed Pytash and Shane stayed at the house on county Road 42 at times. Pytash and Shane had a relationship, and Abdalla said Pytash lived for a period at Shane’s house in Toronto.

David M. Mantegna, 27, of 5393 county Road 43, Steubenville, was indicted on a charge of endangering children. Abdalla said Mantegna was responsible for the spiral leg fracture in a 6-month-old child. The sheriff said Mantegna spun the child in the air “like an airplane,” which resulted in the leg fracture on July 15.

Eric T. Montgomery, 50, of 460 S. Fifth St. was indicted on a charge of aggravated arson. Montgomery was arrested in connection with a fire on May 5 in a vacant house in the 700 block of Rosswell Avenue.

Chad A. Hunt Jr., 24, of 1243 Oak Grove Ave. was indicted on two counts of drug possession and one count of drug possession.

Hunt was arrested following a raid by the drug task force at his Oak Grove Avenue home on Aug. 3. Hanlin said a large amount of cocaine and nine guns were seized during the raid.

Calree D. Rose, 24, of 463 S. Fourth St. was indicted on two counts of drug possession and one count of drug trafficking. Rose was arrested on April 26 following a drug task force raid in the 1300 block of Jefferson Street. Hanlin said a large amount of cocaine was seized during the raid.

Justin T. Butler, 21, of Carrollton was indicted on single counts of felony vandalism, retaliation and assault. Hanlin said Butler broke a sprinkler head at the county jail, causing thousands of dollars in water damage, in addition to making threats to corrections officers at the jail.

David E. Brown Jr., 39, of Apartment 19, 420 Canton Road, Wintersville, was indicted on two counts of felonious assault and one count of misdemeanor domestic violence. Hanlin said Brown “bounced” a woman’s head off a car and then tried to run her over with the vehicle on July 17.

The grand jury also returned the following indictments:

¯ Patricia K. Suddoth, 44, of 105 Holly Ave., Mingo Junction, two counts possession of drugs.

¯ Lavocni J. Brown, 33, of 521 Cedar Ave., single counts of having a weapon under disability, carrying a concealed weapon and receiving stolen property.

¯ Jacob G. Hale, 23, of 403 Wilson Place, single counts of burglary and theft.

¯ Travis S. Faulkner, 27, of Columbiana, illegal conveyance of drugs into detention facility. Hanlin said Faulkner tried to smuggle drugs inside his body on Aug. 15 into the Eastern Ohio Correction Center.

(Law can be contacted at mlaw@heraldstaronline.com.)

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