Niagara Falls Police Find Skeletal Remains Hidden in Apartment Building

An ongoing murder investigation has taken a chilling turn in Niagara Falls as police uncovered skeletal remains hidden inside an apartment building. Police believe there is a potential link to a man already charged in two other homicide cases in Buffalo.

Authorities recently found the remains of an unidentified woman beneath a stairwell, enclosed in drywall, at a property on Orleans Avenue. The discovery came during a joint operation involving Niagara Falls Police detectives, Buffalo Police Homicide Squad officers, and investigators from the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office who were executing a search warrant at the location on March 28th.

The investigation is now being spearheaded by the Niagara Falls Police Department. 62-year-old Richard J. Fox, a suspect already facing two second-degree murder charges for separate cases in Erie County, is being considered a person of interest in connection with the Orleans Avenue remains. He had reportedly lived in the apartment building and was previously employed as a handyman for a former owner.

Fox has been in custody since January 7th when he was apprehended in Niagara Falls by local police and members of the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force. The initial arrest stemmed from a warrant for failing to register as a sex offender.

However, additional charges quickly followed, tying him to the deaths of two Buffalo women: Marquita Mull, who vanished in 2021, and Cassandra Watson, whose disappearance dates back to either 2003 or 2004.

Mull’s body was discovered in Chautauqua County near a hiking trail in the Town of Portland three months after she was reported missing. Her remains were found while investigators were searching the area where a hiker had stumbled upon a human skull. The skull was later connected to Watson.

Though Fox has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains held without bail at the Erie Correctional Facility in Alden, law enforcement agencies have long suspected him of involvement in other unsolved crimes. His past residences span Chautauqua County, Buffalo, and most recently Niagara Falls.

While efforts are underway to identify the victim, investigators confirmed that no direct matches have been made with existing local missing persons cases. Forensic teams have recovered DNA samples, which could prove crucial in determining the victim's identity and possible connections to Fox.

On April 8th, police ramped up their efforts by executing additional search warrants at multiple properties on Pierce, Pine, and LaSalle avenues. During the operation, authorities towed away a white Chevy Express utility van parked behind a residence on Pierce Avenue. The vehicle is believed to be linked to Fox and may play a role in the expanding investigation.

Niagara Falls Police Find Skeletal Remains Hidden in Apartment Building