Man confirmed dead as Cranberry shelter-in-place order ended
A man who was the subject of an hours-long search in Cranberry Township following a shelter-in-place order Tuesday, July 2, was reported dead as the investigation continues.
A shelter-in-place order for the township was lifted around 3:30 p.m. The Butler County Coroner’s Office reported it was contacted regarding the incident but not called to the scene as of 5:30 p.m. The death was confirmed by an official source.
The search for a suspicious man began as employees of a golf course came across a disabled vehicle on a private road shortly before 10 a.m., Cranberry Township police Chief Kevin Meyer said during a news conference Tuesday. The man indicated he was having car issues and was not speaking coherently, Meyer said.
Golf course employees observed long guns in the vehicle and called police.
When officers arrived to the scene, the vehicle was unattended.
“Additionally, they found notes inside the vehicle that were extremely concerning to the officers, indicating that this person was not mentally stable and possibly wanted to do harm either to himself or to others,” Meyer said.
Township police then shut down Cranberry Highlands Golf Course on Freshcorn Road. All patrons were sent away around noon. The Cranberry Township Waterpark was closed around 2 p.m.
An alert from the township canceled all township events and recreation programs and closed parks Tuesday. The township library closed for the day as residents were advised to lock their doors and shelter in place.
Meyer said other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, state police and the Butler County Sheriff’s Office aided the department in the search.
Butler County Emergency Services, Beaver County ESU, Beaver County Emergency Services, Northern Regional Police Department, New Sewickley Police Department, Adams Township Police Department, the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police also responded to the scene.
A Butler Eagle staffer on scene heard gunshots in the nearby woods.
Meyer said officers conducting the search located the man in a wooded area along Freshcorn Road shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday.
“This individual is no longer a threat to the community,” Meyer said.
