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West
Trenton, N.J. – New Jersey State Police
Major Crimes Unit detectives have charged
a father and son with desecration of human
remains in connection with a body found
in the Bass River State Park. Brandon Strater,
24, of Daytona Beach, Florida, and his father,
Lee Strater, 55, of Sewell, New Jersey are
both in jail in connection with the burial
of Joseph Butterworth, 29, of Haddon Heights,
New Jersey.
Butterworth
was reported missing on July 18, 2008, and
was last seen with Brandon Strater. Haddon
Township police originally investigated
the case with members of the State Police
Missing Persons Unit. In October of 2008,
Butterworth’s car was found abandoned
in the woods about three miles from where
his body was eventually found.
On
Saturday, December 11th, a hunter found
several bones while walking through the
woods near Route 542 in Washington Township,
Burlington County. He took those bones to
his Bass River Township home, where upon
further examination, the hunter wondered
if they might be human. He called the State
Police, and troopers from Tuckerton Barracks
had forensic anthropologist Donna Fontana
view the bones. She confirmed that they
were human.
The
hunter then led authorities to the spot
where he found the bones. State Police detectives
and State Park Police officers including
Detective Mike Veredek, excavated the site
and uncovered the rest of the remains, which
were later identified through dental comparison
as Joseph Butterworth.
Troopers
with the Major Crimes Unit and Troop C Criminal
Investigations Office reviewed prior police
information and conducted numerous interviews
over an intensive week of investigation.
Evidence led them to Brandon Strater, who
had been interviewed by Haddon Heights during
the initial missing persons case. Additional
information pointed to Brandon’s father,
Lee, as having a
substantial role in the improper burial
of Butterworth’s body. At this point,
neither man has been charged in the death
of the victim. It is currently unclear how
Butterworth died, but drug overdose is a
potential cause, since he was known to have
an addiction problem.
Yesterday,
December 21st, State Police detectives,
working with Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor
James Ronca of the Burlington County Prosecutor’s
Office, charged both men with Desecration
of Human Remains (second degree) and Hindering
Apprehension (third degree). Lee Strater
was lodged in Burlington County Jail in
default of $25,000 full cash bail.
The
U.S. Marshal’s Service located Brandon
Strater in Daytona Beach yesterday evening,
where he has been living. He is currently
lodged in Volusia County Jail, where he
is pending extradition proceedings.
The
disclaimer: Criminal charges are merely
accusations. Defendants are presumed innocent
until proven guilty. Second-degree crimes
carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in
state prison and a fine of $150,000. Third-degree
crimes carry a maximum sentence of 5 years
in state prison and a criminal fine of $15,000.
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