By The newspaper
Aug 30, 2023, 12:34 PM EDT
Ten people, two of them Hispanic, were arrested as suspects in the kidnapping and murder of Thomas P. Rath (33) outside Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York.
“All of these individuals were familiar with each other,” said New York State Police (NYSP) Capt. Lucas Anthony. “I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was an orchestrated event, but it was a continuous event from start to finish.”
The list of the ten detainees includes Angelo Báez, 48, accused of murder and kidnapping; and Neraida A. Sobrado Torres (43), suspected of kidnapping. State police said more arrests are pending and will occur in the coming weeks, it reported. Ithaca Journal.
According to the investigation, Rath was murdered after being kidnapped on May 20 in “The Jungle,” a local natural area used as a camp for homeless people near the prestigious Cornell University. That day, Ithaca police received a call to “verify the well-being” of Rath and when they could not find him, an investigation was launched.
Ithaca, New York. 10 individuals have been charged with the abduction and tragic death of Thomas Rath, an unhoused man who went missing in May. His remains of him were found months later. This is a stark reminder of the danger unhoused individuals face daily.#EndHomelessness #Homeless pic.twitter.com/poM0XXOjj3
— National Coalition for the Homeless (@NationalHomeles) August 29, 2023
On May 26, investigators received information that Rath’s disappearance was suspicious, and Ithaca police requested assistance from the state police.
Five days later it was learned that Rath had been at a residence located at 70 Benjamin Hill Road in the city of Newfield on May 20, so a search warrant was executed on June 2 in and around that house, with the help of of more than 80 law enforcement officers and volunteers from the Tompkins and Tioga rescue teams.
Rath’s remains were located buried in a shallow grave on state land off Ekroos Road in Candor City, Tioga County on August 3, after more than 40 search warrants were executed at various locations in the preceding weeks.
The investigation is still ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call 911 or state police at (607) 561-7400. At a news conference Monday, authorities did not say when or how Rath died or discuss a possible motive for the crime, he said. Fox News.
All charges are mere accusations and those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.