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10 people charged with kidnapping, murder of Ithaca man

Police allege Thomas Rath, 33, of Ithaca was abducted and murdered earlier this year.
New York State Police
Police allege Thomas Rath, 33, of Ithaca was abducted and murdered earlier this year.

Ten people are in custody and charged with felonies related to the kidnap and murder of an Ithaca man, earlier this year.

Authorities allege Thomas Rath, 33, was abducted from one of Ithaca’s homeless encampments in May and murdered. After issuing nearly 40 search warrants, including a large-scale search of a residence in Newfield, Rath’s body was found on Aug. 3, buried deep in the woods on state lands just across the Tioga County border.

Police say Rath's body was found in a shallow grave off of Ekroos Road on state lands along the border of Tompkins and Tioga counties.
Vaughn Golden
/
WSKG News
Police say Rath's body was found in a shallow grave off of Ekroos Road on state lands along the border of Tompkins and Tioga Counties.

Angelo Baez and Jonathan Glennon, both of Ithaca, have been charged with Rath’s murder.

State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations Captain Lucas Anthony said an additional eight people have been charged with Rath’s kidnapping. Glennon also faces kidnapping charges.

"These individuals were all familiar with each other. I wouldn't go as far as saying it was an orchestrated event, but it was an ongoing event from start to finish,” Anthony told reporters.

The following individuals have been charged in connection with the case:

  • Angelo Baez, age 48 of Ithaca, NY-Murder in the second degree, class “A” felony, Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A” felony
  • Jonathan Glennon, age 31 of Ithaca, NY (currently at Androscoggin Jail, Maine)-Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A” felony
  • Colleen E. Dillon, age 31 of Newfield, NY-Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A” felony
  • Zayne G. Burlingame, age 30 of Ithaca, NY-Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A” felony
  • Mark F. Beatty, age 35 of Ithaca, NY-Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A” felony
  • Robert W. Hines, age 52 of Candor, NY-Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A” felony
  • Neraida A. Sobrado-Torres, age 43 of Ithaca-Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A” felony
  • Jack J. Benjamin Jr., age 39 of Ithaca, NY-Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A” felony
  • Brelynn B. Vorrasi, age 27 of Lodi, NY-Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A” felony
  • Justin M. Knapp, age 36 of Ithaca, NY-Kidnapping in the first degree, class “A” felony

Anthony said additional charges remained pending and more arrests are expected in connection with the case. He declined to allude to any motive that would come up at trial.

The cases will be prosecuted in Tioga County.

Vaughn Golden has been reporting across New York since 2016. Working as a freelancer while studying journalism and economics at Ithaca College, Vaughn has reported for a number of outlets including the Albany Times Union, New York Post, and NPR among others. Prior to coming to WSKG full-time, Vaughn was a reporter for the Watertown Daily Times. Vaughn now covers government and politics for WSKG.