Police find body of Annemarie Cussano
Associated Press, 09/02/00
SUFFIELD, Conn. -- The body of a Shelton woman who disappeared in 1998 was found Saturday, a day after the man last seen with her was charged with her murder, police said.
Hartford police said the remains of Annemarie Cusano were found in a wooded area near Boston Neck Road.
Police said they were led to the body by Gregory McArthur, who was extradited to Connecticut from a Massachusetts prison Friday to face murder charges in Cusano's death. The chief state medical examiner confirmed the remains were that of Cusano through dental records.
Police did not comment on how Cusano was killed. Sgt. Eddie Rivera said he was waiting for the medical examiner to confirm McArthur's version of events.
"Right now we just have his word to go on," Rivera said.
McArthur was the last person seen with Cusano before she disappeared Jan. 3, 1998, leaving behind twin 16-year-old daughters.
Through cellular phone records, police traced Cusano to McArthur's room in a Hartford boarding house, where a bloody bag of clothing was found. Cusano's car also was found parked nearby.
Over the past two years, police searched several areas for Cusano's body, including the more than 600-acre Keney Park in Hartford.
A murder warrant was issued in February 1999 for McArthur, who is serving 10 to 15 years in a Massachusetts prison for unrelated assault and motor vehicle theft charges.
McArthur last month agreed to return to Connecticut to face the charges. He is the first person arrested in the case.
At the time of her disappearance, Cusano, 43, worked for Executone Information Systems Inc. in Milford and was reportedly working part-time at an escort service. Police believe she was answering a call from McArthur the night she disappeared.
McArthur, 39, is charged with murder, felony murder and first-degree robbery. He is being held on $800,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Hartford Superior Court.
McArthur, whose criminal record includes convictions for robbery, larceny and violation of probation, was released from jail in Connecticut four months before Cusano's disappearance. He had served more than six years for violating probation on robbery and sexual-assault convictions.
