Lancaster police identified an 81-year-old man found dead in a wooded area near his Fairfield County home.
Gary Franke, who lives on the 700 block of South Maple Street, was found dead on Aug. 9, Lancaster police Lt. Chuck Sims said.
John T. Scott, 44, of Laurelville, Hocking County, and Holly McDaniel, 45, of Columbus, were arrested later that day. Scott was charged with aggravated murder, and McDaniel was charged with abuse of a corpse. Additional charges are possible after the case is presented to a county grand jury.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Fairfield County Common Pleas Court, officers went to Franke’s home on Maple Street on Aug. 9 because he had been reported missing. They found his body in a forested area at the rear of his property.
Scott allegedly admitted to shooting Franke in an interview with police, according to court records. Police wrote in the affidavit that after he shot Franke, he brought McDaniel, his girlfriend, to the scene, and they moved the body and covered it with brush to conceal it.
McDaniel said in an interview with police that Scott told her he planned to steal from Franke and kill him, according to the affidavit.
Scott had done work for Franke on his property on Aug. 8, according to the affidavit. Sims said Scott had known Franke for more than 30 years.
Scott and McDaniel had their first court hearings on Aug. 12. Scott’s bond was set at $2 million, and McDaniel’s bond was set at $500,000.
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lancaster police identify 81-year-old man found dead near house with gunshot wound
Reporting by Bailey Gallion, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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