Missing woman’s body found on hiking trail 3 years ago. Now, arrest made, NY cops say
A man was arrested on a murder charge in the case of a missing woman whose body was found in a rural area of western New York more than three years ago, authorities said.
Marquita Mull was reported missing to the Buffalo Police Department on July 18, 2021, then was found dead about two months later, on Sept. 27, 2021, according to Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia.
Her body, which was identified in October 2021, was located near skeletal remains that law enforcement found a day earlier in Chautauqua County, Gramaglia said during a Jan. 8 news conference.
Mull’s remains were discovered on a hiking trail in the town of Portland as authorities searched the area after finding the other remains, WGRZ and WKBW reported.
An extensive joint investigation resulted in Chautauqua County deputies locating a person of interest, Richard Fox, in Niagara Falls, New York, on Jan. 7, Gramaglia said.
Now Fox, 61, is charged with second-degree murder in connection with Mull’s death, Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced during the news conference.
Information regarding Fox’s legal representation wasn’t immediately available.
Fox, who is a registered sex offender, was arraigned on the second-degree murder charge the morning of Jan. 8 and is set to appear in Buffalo City Court on Jan. 13 for further proceedings, according to Keane.
Fox was also “arraigned on four separate counts of failing to report as a sex offender,” Keane said.
The investigation into Mull’s killing continues, Keane added.
Mull was last seen in late June 2021 and was reported missing a few weeks later, according to Gramaglia.
“This was a very diligent investigation,” he said, adding that “no stone was left unturned.”
Portland is about a 50-mile drive southwest of Buffalo.
This story was originally published January 8, 2025 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Missing woman’s body found on hiking trail 3 years ago. Now, arrest made, NY cops say."
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