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Body Of Missing Busti Man Identified In Randolph

RANDOLPH — New York State Police have identified the man found dead in the town of Randolph on Saturday.

Police said the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office identified 48-year-old Wilfredo Rodriguez-Colon of Busti as the man found on Swanson Hill Road.

A missing persons report concerning Rodriguez-Colon was filed with the Lakewood-Busti Police Department on Friday, according to Chief of Police John Bentley.

State police said Sunday that there was “no reason to believe” the discovery of Rodriguez-Colon in Randolph and another man found dead in the town of Portland were related to each other. Both men were found dead on Saturday.

Autopsies were scheduled for the bodies after passersby in both towns discovered them and notified police.

The first, a man believed to be in his 40s or 50s, was found near Corell Creek off Route 20 in Portland around 3:20 p.m., across the bridge from the town park. About two hours later, another man, now identified as Rodriguez-Colon, was found dead about 35 miles away on Swanson Hill Road in Randolph.

The Sate Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation based at the Jamestown barracks responded to both incidents.

Capt. Eric Balon of the NYSP said police do not believe the deaths are related, but couldn’t provide additional information. He said more would be released when it became available.

In addition, neither death is believed to be connected to the disappearance of 35-year-old Sean Carpenter, the Jamestown man last seen early April 11. Jamestown police were made aware of both discoveries Saturday, but were told by state police neither were connected to their missing person case.

Carpenter, a native of Warren, Pa., was reportedly walking toward his home on Superior Street in the city when he last he made contact with a friend. He has not been seen or heard from since, despite several searches.

“We’re still actively seeking information on the whereabouts of Sean Carpenter,” Capt. Robert Samuelson of the Jamestown Police Department told The Post-Journal.

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