Family wants answers 10 years after unsolved murder at Progressive Field

CLEVELAND (WJW) – A decade has passed since someone murdered Cory Barron at Progressive Field and his family is still waiting for justice.

“Long time, 10 years,” said Matt Barron, Cory’s father. “Cory would have been 32 this year. Not having Cory here is a big deal.”

Matt Barron says he, his wife and their two children, Britta and Clay, are not giving up hope that an arrest will be made in the case.

Cory disappeared during a Jason Aldean concert. His body was found days later in a landfill. Investigators determined he somehow had gone down a small trash chute.

At first, the Lorain County coroner ruled the manner of death undetermined.

Over the years, private investigators also helped develop leads with photos from the concert where Cory had been sitting.

Cuyahoga County Sheriff‘s Department Chief Deputy Aaron Reese started investigating the case a few years ago, when he was a Cleveland police detective, and was instrumental in getting the manner of death changed to homicide in 2022.

“Based on the evidence I have seen, I’m convinced this was a homicide,” Reese said.

The I-Team has learned investigators are closer than ever to gathering enough evidence for possible criminal charges and are narrowing in on a person of interest.

A woman recently contacted the FOX 8 I-Team telling us she was interviewed by detectives about the case. We confirmed she was, in fact, interviewed. She says she also knows another person questioned. She told us she has received threats, so she asked not to be identified.

The I-Team also learned a grand jury could hear evidence in the case sometime in the future.

Reese said he believes the case will be solved.

“We won’t give up,” Reese said. “This case is not stagnant. There are things as recently as two days ago that we were looking at.”

Cory’s father convinced someone knows exactly what happened to his son. He is hoping that person will come forward.

There is a $50,000 reward being offered for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of the person responsible for Cory’s death.

“There are other people that may have this on their conscience,” Matt Barron said. “They may know the right thing to do is to still come forward.”

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