Post by Scumhunter on Jun 10, 2016 17:14:34 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: pressconnects.com via New York State Police)
From pressconnects.com:
On a Sunday afternoon in November 1980, Barry Marquart's father alerted state police that his son was missing from his Binghamton apartment.
According to police, troopers got the call around 3 p.m. on Nov. 9, 1980, because Marquart's roommate had not seen him for two days. Police say the body of Marquart, then 30, was found later that same day in the shallow waters of the Chenango River in the Town of Dickinson.
Thirty-five years later, on Tuesday, state police investigators announced they are seeking new leads in an attempt to solve Marquart's murder. No arrests were ever made, and the case remains open.
"It's not been sitting around gathering dust. We're hoping to generate some new leads," New York State Police Capt. William McEvoy said. "You never know where information may come from, and it's still within the realm of possibility that people who committed this crime are alive and well today."
At first, police said, there were no signs of foul play when troopers found Marquart's parked car at the now-closed rest area by Exit 5 on Interstate 81 North. But during a check of the surrounding area and the parking lot, investigators said, Marquart's submerged body was located some 500 feet behind the rest stop.
The victim's wallet was found about a mile away, at Otsiningo Park just south of the rest area, police said. An investigation also determined Marquart's watch was missing.
Police say an autopsy ruled the cause of Marquart's death as drowning — but the forensic pathologist also determined Marquart had received injuries from blows to the head and face. The death was determined a homicide.
Many leads were followed during the ensuing months, investigators say, but none of them steered law enforcement officials closer to making an arrest. McEvoy declined to say Wednesday whether any suspects were identified. Several potential witnesses also have been interviewed over by law enforcement over the years.
On Tuesday, police officials also said the alleged scene of Marquart's murder no longer exists, since the rest area has since been closed and the walking area along the river was absorbed by Otsiningo Park during subsequent park expansion.
Despite the age of the case, there is no statute of limitations in New York state on whether law enforcement could still bring a criminal charge in a murder.
"If we find the person or persons responsible, we'd expect make an arrest after first consulting with the district attorney's office," McEvoy said. "It doesn't matter if the homicide happened yesterday, or 35 years ago."
Making an arrest years after the fact in a homicide case is not unprecedented in Broome County. Bobby Jo Hatchcock was sentenced in 2009 to serve 25 years to life in prison for the 1997 murder of Terry L. Dittman, who was found dead in a brush-filled lot behind a former Binghamton public works building. Police at the time said Hatchcock was not considered a suspect at first, but in 2001, authorities received a match on the state's DNA registry that connected him to the murder.
Anyone with information regarding the Marquart murder case is encouraged to call state police at 607-561-7496, and ask to speak with Investigator Matthew Hicks of the New York State Police Troop C Major Crimes Unit..
www.pressconnects.com/story/news/public-safety/2016/06/08/unsolved-murder-man-drowned-1980-but-police-say-he-attacked-first/85592310/
Thoughts?
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