Authorities in New York State detained a 53-year-old woman after retrieving her sister’s body from a river several days after she went missing.
Penny Busch, 62, was discovered dead in the Genesee River in the Town of Rush, New York, on October 14, following the arrest of her sister Jamie Busch, according to a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office release.
The inquiry began earlier this month after Monroe County law enforcement officials were unable to contact Penny during a welfare check at her house on October 11, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to the statement, police investigated her absence as “suspicious” and launched a search.
On Oct. 14, after a weekend of extensive searches, including on Penny’s eight-acre property, authorities discovered a body in the Genesee River, approximately an hour from the victim’s Honeoye Falls home, according to the sheriff’s department.
After the body was recognized as Busch’s, “investigators established significant evidence and probable cause” that led to Jamie’s arrest, according to the statement.
According to a criminal complaint shared by WHEC and reviewed by PEOPLE, Jamie strangled Penny on Oct. 8 between 4:50 and 11:59 p.m. after a physical altercation.
According to detectives, Jamie threw Penny’s three phones in the trash at a Dunkin Donuts early one morning on October 9.
According to the complaint, Jamie “discarded” her older sister’s body in the Genesee River sometime between the alleged homicide and October 12.
Investigators have not revealed a motive.
Jamie worked at Honeoye Falls-Lima Middle School, according to the school’s superintendent, who also stated that the incident has “deeply impacted” the community.
“We are shocked and saddened by the reports,” Superintendent Gene Mancuso stated in a statement.
According to 13 WHAM, Jamie was a paraprofessional for the district. According to Mancuso, the school has placed her on leave.
Jamie faces one count of second-degree murder and two charges of tampering with evidence, according to the sheriff’s office. She has been arraigned and is being held without bond, according to 12 WHAM, the Finger Lakes Times, and the Democrat and Chronicle. It was not immediately obvious whether Jamie had entered a plea or hired an attorney to speak on her behalf.