The United States Marshals Service Cold Case Unit Closes Case from 1972

Cleveland, OH – United States Marshal Pete Elliott and Adult Parole Director Todd Ishee announce the closure of one of Ohio’s oldest warrants.

In 1967, Perry Greathouse, was charged with 1st degree Murder and convicted of manslaughter in the beating and strangulation death of his 3 year old step-daughter in Hartville, OH. Greathouse was sentenced to 1-20 years on January 25, 1967 and was released on parole on January 11, 1972. After his release, Greathouse quickly fled the state and lived a life on the run under a new alias.

The investigation identified that Greathouse’s life on the run began when he changed his name to Gerald Kelly. Gerald Kelly’s life included arrests in Atlantic City, NJ in 1974 and 1976 for sex offenses, in 1983 in Norfolk, VA for misdemeanor concealment and repeated arrests from 1986 until 1989 for crimes such as intoxication, theft, battery and arson while being homeless in Baltimore, Maryland.

Investigators found that Perry Greathouse became sick in 1990 and his days ended in a nursing home in 1990 in Baltimore, MD.

U.S. Marshal Peter Elliott explained that “this is another example of thorough police work and great team work!” With the assistance of the United States Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Ohio Adult Parole Authority “we were able to close one of our states oldest warrants.”