Marcelino Mueces. (Worcester Police)
by Nancy Shack, WBZ NewsRadio1030
WORCESTER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Worcester police have arrested a man in connection with the death of Marcelino Mueces, who went missing last month, and whose remains were discovered in the suspect's Penn Avenue basement last Saturday.
Thomas Garon Jr., 53, is set to be arraigned Wednesday. Garon is charged with identity theft, moving a body, and lying to police—but not murder, with police saying that the death was suspicious, and more charges could be added as the investigation continues.
According to authorities, Mueces, 68, was last seen alive on February 18 at 9 a.m. when he left his job to meet up with someone but never arrived. His gray Ford F-150 truck was found a week later on Villa Nova Street, and witnesses identified Garon as the person who left it there.
Garon was questioned by police and told them several inconsistent stories about the last time he saw the missing man including the claim that Mueces was a drug dealer. Officials also claim Garon stole the victim's last paycheck and had another man cash it a week later.
Police then searched Garon's home with a warrant and found Mueces body buried in the basement. In a written statement, Worcester police say “Evidence uncovered during the course of this investigation indicated that the body had been moved several times before being buried in Garon’s cellar.”
The state medical examiner has not yet released the cause of death.
WBZ NewsRadio's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports