UTICA -- Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol Friday morning announced the arrest of 30-year-old Craig C. Ingersoll of Utica for the 2007 murder of Jennifer Bennett.
Bennett’s body was discovered January 11, 2007 behind the Deerfield Fire House pavilion, just north of Utica, by children sledding . Her body was partially covered with snow, and she was found lying in the ground.
Maciol told reporters that the arrest resulted from a “hit” from the state’s DNA database, which indicated that indicated that DNA evidence taken from Bennett’s body matched that of Ingersoll.
He has been charged with second degree murder and criminal sexual act.
Ingersoll was arraigned in New York Mills village court and was remanded to the Oneida County Jail without bail.
Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara revealed that she had been sodomized and strangled. He said the DNA was a “perfect match”.
Bennett’s sister, Denise Barrett, told reporters that her sister was a “kind and gentle person”, but was “troubled” and ended up around the wrong people. Barrett said she did not know what her sister’s relationship was with Ingersoll.
Investigators have been following leads in the case since 2007. Police said they believed her body had been there for a couple of days before it was discovered and her death was ruled a homicide.
Bennett was 29-years-old and a mother of three children.
