On September 15, 2024, at about 2:57 p.m., deputies responded to reports of shots fired in the 5900 block of East Miami River Road in Cleves, Ohio. They found 33-year-old Joseph Ian Mathias Gladwell suffering from a gunshot wound; he was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital Western Ridge and pronounced dead. A nearby property was searched with SWAT assistance as investigators worked the scene.

Witness statements and surveillance video later led authorities to identify 40-year-old David Vanover as a suspect. Vanover was arrested during a traffic stop on September 18, 2024, and charged with aggravated murder; prosecutors allege he used an AR-15-style rifle and that the killing was premeditated. Vanover pleaded not guilty at his initial court appearance and bond was set at $1 million.

Gladwell, born December 31, 1990, in Cincinnati, was a mechanic and is survived by his parents, son Landon Gladwell, and several siblings. Visitation was held September 26, 2024, with interment at Batavia Union Cemetery on September 27. The investigation remains ongoing; anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers or the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Tip Line. Who knew Joseph or saw anything in that area on September 15?