Gene Scott Jr: Ohio man chokes girlfriend Renee Benedetti to death, dumps rug-wrapped body in landfill
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised.
COLUMBUS, OHIO: An Ohio man has been charged with murder after the remains of his missing girlfriend were recovered from a landfill. Renee Benedetti was choked to death by her boyfriend Gene Scott Jr who confessed that he murdered her following a heated argument on January 29.
The 48-year-old, who allegedly killed Benedetti in their Columbus apartment, wrapped her body in a rug and disposed of it in a garbage dump. The woman's body was discovered on Wednesday, March 8, at Georgetown's Rumpke Waste and Recycling facility, five weeks after she was last seen, according to a statement released by the Columbus Division of Police, reported People.
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How was Benedetti's body located?
Mark Denner, the Columbus police commander, stated during a news conference that the investigation for the missing woman began on January 31 following a report from the Cleveland Police Department. The authorities were informed about a possible homicide that involved Benedetti and Scott.
On February 1, a missing persons report was filed after authorities learned that the 40-year-old woman was last seen in Columbus on January 26. Denner stated that during the investigation, Scott was located 18 hours later in Kentucky and was taken into custody. At the time, he was charged with weapons under disability.
The suspect was extradited to Columbus several days after being arrested. Scott then allegedly revealed details about the case and led the investigators to the dumping yard on February 20. After two weeks of the search, a body was found at the landfill which was later confirmed to be Benedetti's, stated Denner.
"He grabbed Miss Benedetti by the throat with his hands and choked her until she was motionless on the floor," according to his statement to the authorities during the investigation, as per Scott's arrest report which revealed that the suspect allegedly "wrapped up Miss Benedetti's body in a rug and later disposed of her body" at a landfill in Brown County, according to People.
What was Scott's motive behind the murder?
During the news conference, Denner did not reveal more about Scott's potential motive for murdering Benedetti and about the investigation which is still underway. Talking to reporters, Denner said, "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."
"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," Denner added.