The Yates County Sheriff’s Office says a man whose body was found off a road near Penn Yan died of strangulation and there were also signs of blunt force trauma on the body.
Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike issued that update Thursday night as investigators in both Yates and Monroe Counties continue to look at whether this case may be connected with that of a missing Penfield man. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has been looking for 50-year-old Craig Rideout, last seen Tuesday night at his apartment.
Yates County authorities say search warrants have been issued and several people are being interviewed by investigators. Both departments continue to search for Rideout’s car, a 2010 gray Honda Odyssey.
A Mennonite boy found the Yates County body Wednesday morning while biking back home after milking his family’s cows. On the way to the barn he noticed two unfamiliar cars parked along the road. On the way back he saw that something had apparently been dragged into the woods, went to look and found the body.
Meanwhile, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spent Wednesday afternoon with a major investigation at the “Devil’s Bathtub” area at Mendon Ponds Park. They aren’t saying anything about it, but the sheriff’s SCUBA team was called in, and later a tow truck.
Both sheriff’s offices say they can’t rule out a connection between these three incidents.