HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - Police say a body found along the Ohio River belongs to a fatal beating suspect who officers saw jump into a tributary and apparently drown.
The Herald-Dispatch reports 26-year-old Joseph Matthew Vernetter’s body was located May 21, weeks after he was last seen. Huntington police Chief Joe Ciccarelli said on Wednesday fingerprint analysis identified Vernetter.
After Vernetter allegedly jumped into the tributary, rainfall raised the river above average depth, making it difficult for police to enter.
Police say Vernetter was missing since Douglas E. Daniels’ May 4 beating. Police have been investigating whether Vernetter and 31-year-old Anthony Scott Adkins were involved.
Adkins is jailed and awaiting possible indictment on first-degree murder charges in Daniels’ death. Attorney Kerry Nessel says Adkins had no wounds on his body indicating he’d been in an altercation.
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Information from: The Charleston Gazette-Mail, https://wvgazettemail.com.
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