CLEVELAND — A body found in a backyard on Cleveland’s West Side on Friday is a missing woman from Tennessee.
The woman’s 8-year-old daughter was also found in Cleveland but is safe and with Child Protective Services.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s office identified the woman found Friday on Bosworth Road as 37-year-old Amber Graham.
Police in Spring Hill, Tennessee, which is south of Nashville, have been looking for Graham since last Thursday and confirm a missing persons detective has been in contact with Cleveland police.
On Monday, it was a much quieter scene, other than a curious neighbor wanting more details on what happened days earlier.
"It was like a bizarre condition, like a hoarder house; they couldn’t even access the house from the front door,” Cleveland Fire Lt. Mike Norman said.
Norman was not working Friday but spoke with a colleague about the call regarding the body found.
"There was a body under a sheet. He made it sound like it was right outside the door,” Norman said.
RELATED: Cleveland police officers find woman dead in backyard while conducting welfare check
Josh LaCroix is a family friend who lives in Tennessee.
"She’s a good mom. She's real sweet, real kind and talkative," LaCroix said.
Spring Hill police said they took a missing persons report for Amber Graham on July 2 and confirmed Graham had her 8-year-old daughter with her.
Police said Graham’s mother last had contact with Amber on June 18.
"So Amber’s talking to this guy. She calls Huckleberry or Red, one of those two names on Xbox, playing Call of Duty, and she’s taking her daughter to go up there and meet him,” LaCroix said.
Cleveland fire said an 8-year-old girl was dropped off at Fire Station 33 on West 117th Street and Linnet Avenue last Wednesday, which is about a half mile from the house on Bosworth Road.
Norman said the girl had a phone number in her pocket for her grandmother in Tennessee.
"My understanding is that she didn’t appear to have any signs of abuse or any issues, physically or medically, that they were concerned about. Just the fact that she was by herself,” Norman said.
Norman said Cleveland police were called, and the girl is in the care of Child Protective Services.
"She was supposed to be back like a week ago or two weeks ago,” LaCroix said.
LaCroix said Graham worked for his partner at a grocery store and never missed a shift.
"We got like one phone call from her,” LaCroix said.
LaCroix remembers hearing a guy on the line who sounded agitated.
LaCroix said he used social media to try to track down his friend, and Friday, police and fire ended up on Bosworth Road.
Cleveland police have not released any details other than waiting for the medical examiner’s ruling before determining whether it’s a criminal case.
"This is such a weird and crazy. This is all new to me. I don’t know how to process,” LaCroix said.
News 5 has not been told how Graham died or how her daughter ended up at the fire station. LaCroix’s been in touch with authorities, who he said are retrieving Graham’s Xbox as evidence.
