Authorities in Ohio have charged a 46-year-old man with murder after recovering his missing girlfriend’s remains from a landfill.
Gene Scott Jr., allegedly confessed to choking Renee Benedetti, 40, to death during an argument in their Columbus apartment on Jan. 29, before wrapping her body in a rug and throwing it into a dumpster at a garbage dump, his arrest report states, according news.
The woman’s body was found March 8 at Rumpke Waste and Recycling facility in Georgetown, about 50 miles east of Cincinnati, according to a statement from the Columbus Division of Police. The grim discovery came more than five weeks after Benedetti was last seen.
During a news conference, Columbus police commander Mark Denner said an investigation began on Jan. 31 when authorities were contacted by the Cleveland Police Department about a possible homicide involving Scott and Benedetti.
Investigators said they learned that Benedetti was last seen on Jan. 26 in Columbus, and filed a missing persons report on Feb. 1.
About 18 hours later, police located Scott in Kentucky, Denner said. He was taken into custody and initially charged with weapons under disability.
Several days later, Scott was extradited back to Columbus, where during the investigation, he allegedly shared the details that led authorities to the landfill on Feb. 20, according to Denner. The search lasted more than two weeks before a body later confirmed to be Benedetti’s was found.
According to Scott’s arrest report, he allegedly told investigators that “he grabbed Miss Benedetti by the throat with his hands, and choked her until she was motionless on the floor,” ABC 6 reports.
The report added that Scott allegedly “wrapped up Miss Benedetti’s body in a rug and later disposed of her body” in a dumpster at the Brown County landfill.
Denner remained tight-lipped about a potential motive for the killing and the ongoing investigation.
“If we provide everything, and we just lay it out, or we don’t go in a precise manner, then that could end up causing problems for the prosecutors [and] the judges,” Denner told reporters. “I don’t think we’d be doing any service to the family or to Renee if we do that.”
“So, I know it seems like we’re not providing a lot of information, but there’s a reason behind that,” he added.
It is unclear if Scott has entered a plea or retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf.