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Spotsylvania County sheriff’s detectives are becoming confident that the skeletal remains found near the Spotsylvania Quarry belong to Benedict Osband Chase. Date published: 3/8/2007
BY BILL FREEHLING
Spotsylvania County sheriff’s detectives believe the human remains found near the Spotsylvania Quarry belong to a man that went missing three years ago. Benedict Osband Chase was last seen March 8, 2004. He had left the McDonald’ s where he worked in the Four–Mile Fork area after having a small dispute with his co-workers that day. He never returned. The tie and hat found Wednesday in the woods off Smith Station Road had McDonald’s logos on them, Spotsylvania sheriff’s Maj. Michael Timm said today. They were found near bones believed to be a man’s skull, arms and pelvis. Luck Stone management found the skull, and notified the sheriff's office Tuesday. The remains aren't on Luck Stone's property. Detectives discovered the additional bones in the woods yesterday. They also found a jacket, tie, hat and pants. The pants had a waist size of 32-34, which is what Chase wore. It appeared to be a man’s jacket. The medical examiner’s office has concluded it was a black man’s skull. Chase was black. Chase, who has ties to Virginia and Maryland, had a girlfriend who lived in the Stonybrook subdivision. Authorities believe Chase might have cut through the woods to get there. He was last seen a few miles away from where the bones were. Based on all this evidence, Timm said the sheriff’s office is “starting to feel somewhat certain” that they have found Chase’s remains. Chase was 40 when he disappeared and was in good health, Timm said. It’s unclear what the dispute at McDonald’s was about, but Timm classified it as a minor spat that likely wouldn’t have led to violence. At this point, the evidence does not suggest that foul play was involved, Timm said. They did not see any bullet holes in the skull. The medical examiner’s office is testing the skull and bones to see if there are any breaks. The medical examiner’s office will also run DNA tests on the bones for identification purposes, Timm said. Detectives collected Chase’s DNA from his toothbrush and clothes after the missing person report was filed. Chase was last seen about 9 p.m. March 8, 2004. The AccuWeather forecast that night called for “cloudy and cold” conditions with temperatures of 28 degrees. It was 29 degrees at 7 the next morning in Fredericksburg, according to the National Weather Service. Timm mentioned the possibility of hypothermia. Detectives returned to the woods today with cadaver-sniffing Labrador Retrievers. They searched an area about the size of a football field but found no additional evidence. Timm said the search has concluded. Detectives now await word from the medical examiner’s office. —Staff librarian Craig Schulin contributed to this report. Bill Freehling: 540/374-5424 bfreehling@freelancestar.com
Benedict Chase is my brother, and my name is Linda L. Chase of Waldorf, Maryland. This article really disturbs me, due to the fact that my family was given different information that is stated in this article. We filed the missing persons report when Benedict disappeared. The statement about the items collected on our brother for DNA testing was just collected last night not right after he was reported missing. It makes me feel as though the sheriff dept is now trying to cover themselves.
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