Nevada man suspected of killing in-law, dumping body in mine shaft — VIDEO
A Tonopah man was arrested Sunday in Texas on suspicion of killing his father-in-law and dumping the body in a Nevada mine shaft late last year.
Jeremy Burch, 46, who lived in the mining town, was arrested in Amarillo, Texas, in connection with the death of his father-in-law, 62-year-old James Dean Remster, Nye County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Adam Tippetts said in a video news release Thursday.
Remster was reported missing to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 19 after his family had not heard from him for more than two weeks, he said.
Remster’s family had last heard from the Tonopah man on Dec. 1 when they “tried to reach him but his phone was disconnected,” according to the Sheriff’s Office’s missing person flyer. While investigating his disappearance, detectives went to Burch’s home, where Remster had frequently stayed with his daughter and son-in-law, Tippetts said Thursday.
Burch told detectives that he had last seen Remster on Dec. 3, and he said his father-in-law may have caught a bus to Tennessee, Tippetts said.
On Dec. 21, detectives found out that Burch and his wife “had hastily left Tonopah and traveled to Amarillo, Texas,” Tippetts said.
“After numerous interviews,” detectives learned that Burch allegedly told others he had killed Remster and “threw him in a mine shaft,” Tippetts said.
They also learned that Burch told people that after dumping his father-in-law’s body, he withdrew cash from Remster’s bank account, Tippetts said. Detectives also believe that Burch had Remster’s ID card and food stamp card.
It was unclear who told detectives where the mine shaft was, but Sheriff’s Office investigators and a Washoe County Sheriff’s Office’s mine search and rescue team found Remster’s body and several bloodstained pieces of clothing in a mine shaft on Saturday, Tippetts said.
Burch faces charges of murder, burglary, obtaining money under false pretense, using a credit card without consent and destroying evidence, Tippetts said.
On Thursday, Burch remained in the Potter County Detention Center in Texas, where he awaits extradition to Pahrump, Tippetts said. It was unclear when he is expected to be extradited.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
