NORWICH – State Police in Norwich have released information pertaining to the cause of death of a body found early Friday afternoon. The body, identified as that of 29-year-old Christopher M. Gonzalez, was recovered from a wooded area on County Road 36 – known as the Norwich-Guilford Rd. – in the vicinity of Guinn Ridge Road in the Town of Norwich.
An autopsy conducted on Jan. 11 at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton by Dr. Robin Eastman-Abbaya determined the cause of death to be from hypothermia, with a secondary contributing factor of drug toxicity. The manner of death was ruled accidental.
On Jan. 8, State Police announced Gonzalez as a subject wanted for questioning in connection to the two separate burglaries of 26 handguns, six long guns and a large amount of ammunition from Mayhood’s Sporting Goods in the Town of Norwich. Police say those burglaries took place between 9:52 p.m. on Jan. 6 and 6 a.m. Jan. 7.
Gonzalez had remained at large Thursday, despite reports from several medial outlets that he had been captured and placed into custody.
An extensive search conducted by units from the New York State Department of Conservation and several New York State Police units from out of the immediate jurisdiction revealed Gonzalez’ body early Friday afternoon.
Mike Mayhood, owner of Mayhood's Sporting Goods said, “All of the weapons that were reported stolen last week have been returned to the business,” although some, he added, were damaged.
In addition to the weapons, an undisclosed amount of cash and cash boxes were stolen as well.
Mayhood also indicated that the business sustained a substantial amount of property damage by way of broken windows and destroyed surveillance equipment.
He went on to say, “I'm just very thankful that local law enforcement officials were able to recover all the guns and get them off the streets and out of the wrong hands. It was remarkable at how quickly the items were returned to the store given the circumstances."
Mayhood would not indicate how much cash was stolen or the extent of damage; only that he “is not sure if he is at liberty to discuss it yet,” given the pending status of the investigation.
Only after the recovery effort of Gonzalez' body did authorities release that 25-year-old Brandy Bousson – known to be Gonzalez’ girlfriend – would be charged as an accomplice in the burglary.
As a result of the investigation, it was revealed that Bousson was arrested Jan. 8 on two charges of burglary. She was arraigned in the Town of Norwich Court and remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility in lieu of $250,000 cash bail.
While public opinion remains mixed regarding the incident, many residents site the rampant illegal drug trade of the county to be the catalyst of the incident.
Social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter were the vehicle for public comment, and the newly established Facebook page “Taking Back Chenango County” – an action group aimed at addressing drugs and crime in the county – saw a marked increase in page hits throughout the week.
“Ms. Bousson has been charged with two counts of burglary for allegedly acting in concert with Gonzalez. While Bousson is presumed innocent until found guilty, this is a very serious matter that will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And by doing so, we are sending the message that we take these types of crimes very seriously,” said Chenango County District Attorney Joseph. A. McBride. “Not only was a commercial establishment that has served the community for decades damaged and burglarized, the fact that more than 30 firearms were stolen in the process only compounds the severity of the crime.”
McBride noted that the matter would be presented to a grand jury in the near future and stressed that Bousson remains an alleged criminal at this time.