A school employee in upstate New York has been charged with murdering his sister, whose body was found in a river after a massive three-day search.
Jamie Bush, a 53-year-old middle school paraprofessional from Honeoi Falls, a village about 32 miles from Rochester, was killed Friday by her sister, Penny Bush, who was last seen on the 12th, and is a mother of two. He was charged with second-degree murder of 62-year-old Penny Bush. A few days ago.
Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter said at a Friday news conference that a “simple, routine” welfare check on Penny Bush on Oct. 11 was expected, but that deputies found it “bizarre and unusual.” “We found some things that weren't there,” and an investigation was launched, he said. .
A massive search using police search dogs and drones has begun around the eight-acre property of the missing mother, the sheriff's office said.
Three days after the search began, police divers found the body in the Genesee River in Rush. It was identified as Penny Bush on Friday.
“Investigators have established probable cause and material evidence to arrest her sister, Jamie Bush, on suspicion of murder,” the sheriff's office said, without providing further details.
Mr Baxter said he would “keep the cause of death and motive to ourselves” but added: “We believe this is an isolated family incident.”
But police believe Jamie Bush strangled Penny before dumping her body in the river and hiding her cell phone in a Dunkin Donuts trash can. According to court documents obtained by 13-WHAM.
The sheriff praised “astute officers who determined that this was more than just a welfare check on an adult who was not home.”
“The determination of our investigators to find clues, locate the person who died in the river, and arrest the sister on suspicion of murder is remarkable,” the sheriff said.
Jamie was placed on leave from his job as a middle school paraprofessional. According to a statement from the Honeyoe Falls-Lima Central School District.
Superintendent Gene Mancuso wrote that he was “shocked and saddened by the reports.”
“While we have never encountered a situation like this in our district, I am confident that by coming together as a community and supporting each other, we will get through this difficult time.”
Police said Penny grew up in Schenectady and spent most of her time in Texas before moving to Monroe County about a year ago.
Police said she had two sisters, including Jamie, and left behind two children.
According to court records, Jamie was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence and remanded to the Monroe County Jail without bail.
