After 11 years of waiting, police say an arrest has been made in the unsolved murder of a 69-year-old Philadelphia man who was found dead in the Schuylkill River in 2015 after he had been missing for months.
Melanie Morat, 30, was arrested and charged with murder, conspiracy, arson and other offenses in the killing of Vito Maglio, Philadelphia police and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office confirmed Wednesday.
Maglio was last seen on Dec. 14, 2014, at a Bustleton restaurant owned by two of his nephews. Days later, his burned GMC Yukon was found about 9 miles away near the Belfield Playground in East Germantown.
It wasn’t until March 27, 2015, that Maglio was found dead in the Schuylkill River near the East Falls Bridge.
The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office later determined Maglio had been shot in the head multiple times, and ruled his death a homicide.
Maglio’s family released a statement about the arrest.
“After almost 12 long years we are finally going to see justice for a husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend that was abruptly taken from our lives,” the statement said. “While it’s a bittersweet moment for our family, we are so grateful that his case wasn’t forgotten and the detectives took the initiative, did their due diligence, and are finally bringing us some closure.”
Morat is set to be arraigned in a Philadelphia courtroom Wednesday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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