Arraignment set for murder suspect

An arraignment hearing for a Genoa man charged with murder, tampering with evidence and endangering children is scheduled for Friday, April 30 in Ottawa County Municipal Court.
John Eichner, 43, was taken into custody April 27 after investigators uncovered a body buried in Toledo believed to be Eichner’s wife, Amber.
James VanEerten, county prosecutor, said Wednesday an autopsy by the Lucas County coroner’s office has determined the cause of death to be from strangulation.
Authorities were waiting for the results of DNA analysis to identify the body, he said, but it’s believed it is Amber Eichner.
The court set bond at $1 million for the murder charge, $50,000 for tampering with evidence and $5,000 for each of the four child endangering charges.
Ottawa County sheriff Steve Levorchick said his office was contacted by Genoa police, who had received a report that Amber was missing and the couple’s four children had been abandoned in Tennessee by John Eichner.
“Genoa police tracked down leads and did a really nice job on their end and by Monday it looked like it was beyond a missing persons case,” the sheriff said. “That’s when they came to us.”
During the investigation, authorities received a tip from a friend of John Eichner that Eichner had requested permission to bury his deceased dog on the friend’s property in South Toledo. The friend granted Eichner permission. Police excavated the site and found human remains.
The Ottawa County prosecutor’s office and drug task force, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Toledo Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted the sheriff’s office and Genoa police, the sheriff said.
“We are blessed to have the partners and resources we have to get a quick resolution of the case,” he said.
An arraignment hearing for Eichner had been set for April 28 but was postponed until Friday because he wasn’t yet represented by legal counsel.