On July 1, 2017, Raymond Cornelius, 82, spoke with his family by telephone. It's the last time family members would hear from him. After subsequent attempts to reach him failed, a family member drove to his home on Wadsworth Hill Road in the town of Ward on the morning of July 3, 2017. Mr. Cornelius was found...he had been shot to death. Wellsville Regional News broke the story and has consistently followed up on it.
Jed Murphy is the lead investigator for the state police. He said this morning that he is "still confident we'll figure it out." He candidly admitted however that, "I don't like the fact I have an open homicide case."
State police have poured enormous resources into this case. Investigator Murphy did say that "some physical evidence was recovered at the scene," however he would not discuss specifics.
Murphy said the "leads have slowed...noting it has been a while since there was a credible lead." That hasn't deterred him. This morning, he was flanked by boxes of notes, interviews and more. "It bugs you," he said.
Wadsworth Hill Road is in a rural area with plenty of seasonal camps. A quick check of tax records showed properties owned by people from Lewiston, Batavia, Newfane, Niagara Falls and more. State police are again urging both local residents and those occasion residents to think back to last July 1st. Police said you may think your information is irrelevant, but Murphy said "no matter how small, every piece of the puzzle matters." In a previous interview, State Police Senior Investigator
Dan Howard said "it's a process." Murphy said this is a “challenging
case…one that has kept him up at night.” Has this become a cold case? "I don't believe in cold cases," Murphy said. If you have any information about this homicide, please call New York State Police Amity Barracks at 585-268-7085. Ask for Investigator Jed Murphy.
