LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio — UPDATE: As of Sept. 9, Coutcher has been indicted on his previous felonious assault charge. He is now facing two counts of murder and one count of felonious assault.
One man was indicted for the August murder of 56-year-old Betty Shiffler.
Indictments were handed down for Bryan Coutcher. He will face charges of murder and felonious assault.
Betty Shiffler, a local woman, was pronounced dead on Aug. 29 due to blunt force head injuries sustained on Aug. 12, according to a Lucas County Coroner's Office autopsy that was conducted.
A press release from the coroner's office specifically cites "pulmonary thromboemboli (blood clots in both lungs)" related to immobility from sustained head injuries as the cause of 56-year-old Betty Shiffler's death.
Bryan Coutcher, 53, was taken into police custody on Aug. 12 on charges of felonious assault in the incident.
Shiffler was pronounced dead at Hospice of Northwest Ohio.
Toledo Police confirmed at the time that detectives were working to upgrade the charge to murder.
As of Sept. 9, Coutcher has been indicted on his previous felonious assault charge. He is now facing two counts of murder and one count of felonious assault.
Hospice of Northwest Ohio said it cannot comment on the circumstances surrounding the death of any of its patients due to medical privacy laws.
A family member said Shiffler was assaulted and then taken to hospice after being declared brain dead.
Her death is the 38th homicide in Toledo in 2022.
At this time last year, there were 46 homicides in Toledo. At this time two years ago, there were 40 homicides in Toledo.