SUSSEX COUNTY, N.J. — A dead body was found Saturday inside an Andover Township doghouse, prompting the arrests of two New Jersey men suspected of relocating the corpse before fleeing the state.
Brian Cheda-Hackembruch, 25, of Andover Township, and Matthew Thomas, 27, of Newton, were taken into custody by Delaware State Police on Monday and charged with second-degree disturbing or desecrating human remains, the New Jersey Herald reported.
According to police, the homeowners discovered the body in the doghouse underneath a deck and contacted authorities at around noon Saturday, NJ.com reported.
Investigators determined that Cheda-Hackembruch and Thomas were at a Hopatcong residence when a man, whose name and age were not released, suffered a medical emergency and died, the Herald reported.
No foul play is suspected in the death itself, but Cheda-Hackembruch and Thomas are accused of placing the corpse in the trunk of the victim’s vehicle and having a towing company dispatch the vehicle to an Andover Township street. The men later removed the victim’s body and placed it in the doghouse under the deck of the West Lakeview Road home, the newspaper reported.
According to NJ.com, Cheda-Hackembruch and Thomas were on probation for unrelated offenses and are awaiting extradition to New Jersey.
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