Man Who Brutally Mutilated, Tortured And Killed Kidnap Victim Indicted

A 21-year-old man has been indicted for brutally torturing, mutilating and murdering a man who was allegedly kidnapped earlier this year.

Chemung County Grand Jury indicted the suspect, Thomas Bovaird, from Elmira, on multiple charges for fatally torturing Juan Jose Gotay. He allegedly abducted the victim with the help of his unnamed associates at the end of January.

Bovaird was also accused of shooting Gotay in the shoulder and left leg and kicking him repeatedly. He allegedly cut off the victim's tongue, burned his ears and buttocks and mutilated his eyes before dumping him in a remote area in Pennsylvania, MyTwinTiers.com reported, citing indictment documents.

The accused was formally charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping in the first degree, two counts of assault in the first degree and two counts of assault in the second degree.

The police recovered Gotay's body from Ulysses Township in Pennsylvania in April. The victim was tied with an electrical cord when he was abandoned across state lines, indictment documents indicated.

Authorities have not revealed the exact relationship between Bovaird and the victim and the possible motive behind the brutal murder. It is still not known if Gotay was already dead or how long he had been lifeless when he was transported to Pennsylvania.

In May, there were reports about police officers conducting an investigation on two properties on Patridge Street and West Avenue in Elmira. According to neighbors, they saw cops digging in the backyard and taking a bag from the house on West Avenue. Though it is not currently known who lived in these homes, they appear to be related to the case, the New York Post reported.

Last month, the body of an Arkansas mother who had been reported missing was found weighted down in a pond. Three suspects, identified as Alex Nathaniel Davis, Austin Johnson and Kaelin Hutchinson were arrested after investigators recovered the body of 40-year-old Tara Strozier in a pond near Rock Island, in LeFlore County on July 29. The suspects were charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping. Investigators believe they tortured Strozier at an unoccupied mobile home in Cameron before murdering her.