Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub took a few moments at Thursday’s 11 a.m. press conference to acknowledge the many groups of law enforcement personnel which have worked incredibly hard to bring four missing young men home to their families.
The late morning press conference was held less than 12 hours after Weintraub gathered the news media at Logan Square Shopping Center to announce that the human remains of 19-year-old Dean Finocchiaro of Middletown had been found by investigators.
“It was pitch black, the heat was incredibly stifling,” said Weintraub. “Our law enforcement brothers and sisters were still working just as hard as when they arrived many days ago.”
According to authorities, Finocchiaro’s remains were found in a 12-foot deep hole that investigators first acknowledged with the help of cadaver dogs and have been excavating extremely carefully as not to damage evidence over the last several days.
Weintraub noted that a fresh shift of personnel was scheduled to come to the scene late Wednesday night to relieve existing investigators of the exhausting conditions. He said second day cadets from the Montgomery County Community College Municipal Police Academy were paired up with 40-year veterans of the police departments, alongside state police and the FBI, all of whom have taken on different roles at various locations and provided “invaluable assistance” in an attempt to rescue four young men that went missing from throughout the region nearly a week ago.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
“They’re tenderly, painstakingly, reverentially recovering the remains of people they do not even know and they never even met,” said Weintraub, appearing to get choked up. “They don’t do this for glory or recognition, they do it because its their job, they are our unsung heroes but our heroes nonetheless.”
When asked by NewtownPANow.com just how many law enforcement officers are involved, Weintraub said “hundreds.”
Weintraub noted that very late on Wednesday evening, Finocchiaro’s remains were found in what is referred to as a common grave with other unidentified remains.
Weintraub noted that while he is “pleased paradoxically with the progress,” he is not prepared to identify other remains at this time or note Finocchiaro’s cause of death.
He also said while he knows more than he saying about the relationship between the men, he does not want to jeopardize the integrity of the investigation.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Tom Meo, 21, of Plumstead, Mark Sturgis, 22 of Pennsburg, Montgomery County and Jimi Patrick, 19 of Newtown Township still remain missing.
Cosmo DiNardo, 20, of Bensalem, whose family owns the property where the remains were found, was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon on new charges of theft and receiving stolen property after officials alleged he attempted to sell the car of Meo to a friend one day after the Plumstead man was reported missing by his family.
Weintraub, who will once again address the media at 3 p.m., said he hopes the public will support, help, and honor the work of law enforcement by continuing to provide tips. Those wishing to provide tips can now go through the FBI by visiting their website or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI and selecting option 7.
Reporter Erich Martin and Publisher Tom Sofield contributed to this article.
