A Tompkins County man has become the 13th person charged in connection with the kidnapping and murder of an Ithaca man.
A Tioga County Grand Jury indicted 41-year-old David Maycumber of Newfield on charges of murder in the first and second degree, as well as kidnapping and intimidating a witness, all felonies, in connection with the disappearance and murder of Thomas Rath.
Rath was last seen in the homeless encampment known as “The Jungle” on May 20th. He was initially reported missing but police say their investigation led them to believe Rath was kidnapped. Rath’s body was located in a shallow grave in the Tioga County town of Candor in early August.
State Police have not released a motive behind the crimes and say additional indictments are pending.
Here is a list of the other 12 people charged and a timeline provided by State Police investigators:
Joseph M. Howell, Age 37, Newfield, NY
- Murder in the First Degree, class “A-I” felony
- Murder in the Second Degree, class “A-I” felony
- Kidnapping in the First Degree, class “A-I” felony
- Intimidating a Witness (3 Counts), class “E” felony
Colleen E. Dillon, age 31, Newfield, NY
- Murder in the First Degree, class “A-I” felony
- Murder in the Second Degree, class “A-I” felony
- Kidnapping in the First Degree, class “A-I” felony
Kysha S. Radcliff, age 39, Lansing, NY
- Kidnapping in the First Degree, class “A-I” felony
Jonathan Glennon, age 31 of Ithaca, NY
- Murder in the First degree, class “A-I” felony
- Murder in the Second degree, class “A-I” felony
- Kidnapping in the First degree, class “A-I” felony
Angelo Baez, age 48 of Ithaca, NY
- Murder in the second degree, class “A-I” felony
- Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A-I” felony
Zayne G. Burlingame, age 30 of Ithaca, NY
- Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A-I” felony
Mark F. Beatty, age 35 of Ithaca, NY
- Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A-I” felony
Robert W. Hines, age 52 of Candor, NY
- Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A-I” felony
Neraida A. Sobrado-Torres, age 43 of Ithaca
- Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A-I” felony
Jack J. Benjamin Jr., age 39 of Ithaca, NY
- Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A-I” felony
Brelynn B. Vorrasi, age 27 of Lodi, NY
- Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A-I” felony
Justin M. Knapp, age 36 of Ithaca, NY
- Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A-I” felony
Here is a State Police-provided timeline of the events:
On May 20, 2023, Rath was forcibly abducted from his encampment in the natural area behind Lowes in the city of Ithaca, known as the “Jungle.” On that day the Ithaca City Police Department received a call to “check the welfare.” At that point, an investigation was initiated with very limited information.
On May 26, 2023, Investigators received more information that determined Rath’s disappearance was a result of suspicious circumstances. On that date, Ithaca City Police requested and received assistance from the New York State Police.
On May 31, 2023, information was developed that on May 20, Rath had been at a residence located at 70 Benjamin Hill Road in the town of Newfield. On that date, a search warrant was authored and executed for that residence.
On June 2, 2023, there was a large-scale foot search conducted in the surrounding area of 70 Benjamin Hill Road in the town of Newfield. Over 80 law enforcement members and volunteers from Tompkins and Tioga Rescue Teams assisted in that search.
In the days after that over 40 search warrants were authored and executed at various locations.
On August 3, 2023, Rath’s remains were located buried in a shallow grave on state lands off Ekroos Road in the town of Candor, Tioga County.
On August 16, 2023, law enforcement began to make arrests, with the most recent arrest on August 24. Thus far, ten people have been arrested; two have been charged with Murder in the second degree and nine (including one that was charged for murder) have been charged with kidnapping in the first degree. More arrests are pending and will occur in the following weeks. The defendants will be charged in Tioga County.
The New York State Police express their condolences to Mr. Rath’s family and request members of the public to respect the family’s privacy.
The New York State Police also thanks the public for their patience while they conducted numerous interviews and conducted special operations in the area.
The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with any information is still asked to call New York State Police Major Crimes at (607) 561-7400.
