Decorated veteran charged in Findlay with wife's slaying

Wedding photos of Danielle and Evan Donoho from Facebook.

FINDLAY -- A decorated U.S. Army veteran who served a tour of duty in Afghanistan is in the Hancock County jail charged with the slaying of his wife.

Findlay police said they found the body of Danielle Robinson Donoho, 29, about 8:45 a.m. Tuesday in a farm field off Jackson Township Road 168 just south of Findlay.

By then, her husband, Evan Donoho, 26, of Findlay already was in custody.

"As part of the investigation, we interviewed him and then we did some subsequent investigation," Findlay Police Lt. Chuck Wilson said. "I can't relate everything he told us, but we were out looking [Monday] night. We were out after dark with assistance from some fire departments in that area. Because of issues with darkness and flooded roads, we suspended the search and started again [Tuesday] and with daylight, we were able to locate her around 8:45 a.m."

Lieutenant Wilson declined to comment on the cause of death, saying an autopsy was to be performed Wednesday by the Lucas County Coroner's Office in Toledo. He also declined to comment on a possible motive for Mrs. Donoho's death and would not say whether investigators believe she was killed at that location.

"We know it started out in Findlay," he said.

Relatives of the Donohos reported the couple missing Monday afternoon. They told Findlay police they had not seen or heard from the couple since early in the morning, although Mrs. Donoho's two children -- ages 13 and 6 -- were accounted for. The children, who lived with their mother and Mr. Donoho, are safe and staying with a family member, Lieutenant Wilson said.

About two hours after the Donohos were reported missing, police said they located Mr. Donoho at another residence in Findlay and took him to the police station for questioning. Police said he has no criminal history.

According to the U.S. Army, Mr. Donoho joined in January, 2008. He served with the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division based at Fort Knox, Ky., and was deployed to Afghanistan from July, 2008, to June, 2009.

He received numerous awards and commendations for his service overseas, including the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with a campaign star, an Army Commendation Medal with a valor device, a NATO medal, and a Combat Infantryman Badge, according to Ray Gall, spokesman for Army Human Resources Command.

"Obviously he was there and he was in the thick of it," Mr. Gall said. "He was an infantryman. He was deployed overseas with his unit from Fort Knox, and he did see battle and obviously performed well because he got those awards."

He was discharged in April, 2010. Mr. Gall said Army regulations prohibit him from commenting on reasons for the serviceman's discharge.

According to Mr. Donoho's Facebook profile, he graduated from Elmwood High School in 2003, where he was a top scorer on the basketball team.

He worked at P&A Industries in Findlay and married Danielle Robinson on March 27, 2010.

Mrs. Donoho's Facebook profile said she graduated from Findlay High School in 2000, attended the University of Findlay, and was employed at Scrambler Marie's restaurant in Findlay.

"It's a very active investigation," Lieutenant Wilson said, adding that detectives were continuing to conduct interviews late Tuesday.

Mr. Donoho is expected to be arraigned at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in Findlay Municipal Court.

Contact Jennifer Feehan at: jfeehan@theblade.com or 419-724-6129.