Background: The area near the property where the remains of Roger Pitt were found in Cairo, N.Y. (Google Maps). Insets, left to right: Rodney Pitt, Drew White, Tania Pitt, Roger Pitt Sr. (Greene County Sheriff's Office).
An upstate New York man who was originally thought to have gone missing is now believed to have been the victim of a murder carried out by members of his own family.
Police and sheriff's deputies in the town of Cairo and Greene County had been investigating the disappearance of Roger Pitt Sr., 69, since Nov. 18. According to a press release from the Greene County Sheriff's Office, Pitt was believed to have "gathered his belongings and left the area in his 1987 Mercedes Benz."
Investigators say they soon realized, however, that the missing man's family members knew more than they were letting on.
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"The initial reports made by members of Mr. Pitt's family were not consistent with the findings of investigators," the release states. Those inconsistencies led to search warrants for the Pitt family property in the town of Cairo, where Pitt's remains were ultimately found.
Now, three people are under arrest: Rodney Pitt, 46, Drew White, 23, and Tania Pitt, 43. White and Rodney Pitt are both charged with second-degree murder, second-degree conspiracy, tampering with physical evidence, and concealment of a human corpse. Tania Pitt, however, is charged only with tampering with physical evidence and sixth-degree conspiracy, according to the sheriff's announcement.
According to local CBS affiliate WRGB, Rodney Pitt is the victim's son. Tania Pitt is Rodney Pitt's wife, authorities say, and White is apparently the boyfriend of a granddaughter.
Greene County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky said investigators believe money may have been the source of conflict between the family members.
"We believe the murder potentially took place on October 31st," Kusminsky said, according to the station. "We believe the possible motivation was basically disagreements over financial matters."
Kusminsky added that Greene County is a "relatively low-crime area" and that homicides there are rare.
Cairo, which is in Greene County, is located 40 miles south of Albany.
The two men remain behind bars, according to the sheriff's office; Tania Pitt was released and ordered to return to court at a later date.