Billie Jo Douglas’ daughter said her mother had been homeless, while officials have not determined how Douglas reached the recycling facility.
TWINSBURG TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The daughter of an Akron woman found dead on a conveyor belt at a Summit County recycling facility is describing her mother’s final days as authorities continue investigating how the 55-year-old reached the facility and what caused her death.
Billie Jo Douglas was identified by the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office after her body was discovered Tuesday, Nov. 3, at Kimble Recycling in Twinsburg Township. Deputies responded around 11 a.m. after workers reported finding a human body during the processing of delivered recyclable materials. Douglas was pronounced dead at 12:19 p.m.
Douglas’ daughter, Brooke Harris, told WOIO that her mother had been experiencing homelessness before her death. Harris said she had tried to have her mother stay with her but that the arrangement did not work out. She also said she had last seen Douglas at a bus stop two days before the discovery.
Harris told the station that she believes her mother may have entered a dumpster to sleep and later been transported with collected material. Authorities have not confirmed that account, and investigators have not publicly established how Douglas entered the material that eventually reached the recycling facility. The family’s belief remains separate from the official findings in the case.
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office has said only that Douglas was found on a conveyor belt during the processing of delivered recyclable materials. Officials have not publicly identified the collection point for those materials, the route they took to the plant or when Douglas may have entered the load.
The medical examiner completed an autopsy examination, but the cause and manner of death remain pending. That means authorities have not determined publicly whether Douglas died before reaching the facility, during transport or under other circumstances. No criminal charges have been announced, and officials have not classified the death as a homicide.
Harris described Douglas as a caring mother who helped other people, offering one of the first public accounts of the woman behind the investigation. Her comments also underscored the uncertainty surrounding Douglas’ movements before she was found. Investigators have released few details about the period between the family’s last reported contact and the discovery Tuesday.
The sheriff’s Crime Scene Unit and the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office both responded to the facility. Authorities have not disclosed whether records from waste collection routes, surveillance video or other evidence have helped investigators trace Douglas’ movements. No official timeline beyond the discovery and emergency response has been released.
The investigation remains open as officials await final medical findings and continue examining how Douglas came to be among the material processed at the plant. Her cause and manner of death had not been determined as of Thursday.
Author note: Last updated November 5, 2026.