Man accused of choking girlfriend and disposing of body
Gene Scott Jr., left, faces a murder charge in the death of Renee Benedetti, whose body was found in an Ohio landfill on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (Images by the Columbus Division of Police)
A 46-year-old man has been charged in the death of his girlfriend, whose body was found at an Ohio landfill after authorities conducted a two-week search.
Gene Scott Jr. is suspected of choking Renee Benedetti, 40, during an argument and dumping her body in a dumpster. Her body was found Wednesday in a landfill an hour east of Cincinnati, police said.
In a news conference, Columbus Police Department Cmdr. Mark Denner said they first became aware of the case on Jan. 31, when the Cleveland Police Department contacted the Columbus Division of Police about a possible murder of Scott and Benedetti. The following day, Benedetti was reported missing by police and a few hours later investigators found Scott in Kentucky and extradited him to Columbus, Ohio.
Further investigations led police to a dumpster in southern Ohio and the Rumpke Landfill in Georgetown, Ohio, where authorities began searching on February 20.
Rumpke officials began helping law enforcement after being warned there may be a body at the site, a spokeswoman for the landfill told ABC Cincinnati affiliate WCPO9.
The body was found on Wednesday, police said.
“We’re glad we got this investigation to where we are, but this is only one step in the process,” Denner said. “We still have a long way to go. We have to make sure we see this through.”
Scott reportedly told police he had a heated argument with Benedetti at their apartment when he grabbed her by the throat and choked her until she was motionless on the floor, according to an ABC affiliate WSYX, citing an arrest report.
He “wrapped Miss Benedetti’s body in a rug and later disposed of it” at the Brown County landfill.
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https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/arrest-in-strangulation-death-of-woman-whose-body-was-wrapped-in-rug-and-thrown-in-ohio-landfill/ Man accused of choking girlfriend and disposing of body
