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Detective Work Finds Unmarked Police Graves

At the top of a knoll at the Vine Street Hill Cemetery shiny headstones now honor two Cincinnati Policemen who died in the line of duty a century ago and were buried in unmarked graves. A noontime ceremony at the cemetery Wednesday is giving them a proper burial.

Frederick Karsch died in 1880 in an election related shooting. Records show he was at Sixth and Broadway in downtown Cincinnati where a post-election celebration was going on. One person didn't like being told to go home and shot Karsch.

John Schnucks was killed in 1916. The officer was hired in 1881 as a detective and patrolled in College Hill at the time of his death.

Their recognition is due to some diligent police work by retired Cincinnati Police Detective Ed Zieverink, historian of the Greater Cincinnati Police Historical Society. He made it his mission to help locate the graves of all 205 Greater Cincinnati police officers killed in the line of duty. In three years he has found 150. In the process, Zieverink discovered the two unmarked graves of Karsch and Schnucks. (other graves were identified before Zieverink started bringing the total to 198. He is still working on 7 others)

Retired Lt. Steve Kramer knew Zieverink, a former homicide detective, was the man for the tedious job. "He was one of those guys when somebody dies and you get assigned the case you are probably the only one who is going to solve the case and if you didn't solve the case that case is going to go unsolved  and Ed is one of these kinds of guys who would take it personal and I know he would take this personal."

An honor guard will pay respect to Karsch and Schnucks. Kramer, looking at Schnucks' grave says it's the right thing to do. "He was forgotten, somehow, someway. He wasn't treated as someone who gave his life for his community."

Eighteen other police officers and firefighters are buried at the Vine Hill Street Cemetery. The Greater Cincinnati Police Historical Society is rededicating a memorial at the cemetery after replacing a plaque that was stolen.

Ann Thompson has decades of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting.