An arrest has been made in connection with the killing of a missing Pennsylvania woman, who was found dead along a trail near her home last month, authorities said.
David Allen Bosley, 59, was taken into custody on April 6, and charged with homicide, rape by forcible compulsion, aggravated indecent assault, kidnappings and abuse of a corpse, according to a press release from the Venango County District Attorney’s Office.
According to the Megan’s Law public website, Bosley, of Oil City, is a convicted sex offender.
An investigation began on March 26 when authorities were informed that Marcy Suzette Nellis was reported missing, the release states. A search continued throughout the night, until investigators found the 76-year-old Oil City woman’s body the next morning along a bike trail near the Allegheny River.
According to an autopsy conducted in Erie County, Nellis’ cause of death was asphyxiation due to manual strangulation and she was sexually assaulted.
Bosley became an “immediate person of interest,” after evidence including a rape kit, allegedly linked him to the crime, the release states.
During questioning, Bosley allegedly denied “touching that woman” and denied having “anything to do with the death of the victim,” according to the complaint obtained by Explore Venango.
Nellis, whose obituary says she died while walking near her home, was a longtime member of Good Hope Lutheran Church and worked in banking until retirement.
“She lived in her West First Street home for 46 years, and rarely missed a day going outside for a walk,” her obituary states.
Nellis is survived by her husband of 57 years, her two children, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
“Please take this time look out for one another and seek support if needed in this tragedy,” Oil City Firefighters IAFF Local #700 wrote on Facebook. “Finally, please keep the family of Marcy Nellis in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”