Man charged with Rochester murder apprehended in Salamanca
SALAMANCA — A man charged with the murder of a 28-year-old from Rochester was arrested Monday in Salamanca after a multi-day missing person search across Western New York.
The body of Luis Leon was found hidden off Route 17 in Cattaraugus County on Monday evening after being reported missing since Saturday, WHEC in Rochester reported.
Ruben Ortiz, 48, a Livingston County resident, was charged with second-degree murder, a class A-1 felony, and concealment of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence, class E felonies.
Rochester police worked with the Seneca Nation of Indians Allegany Marshals, New York State Police and Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office deputies to locate Ortiz on Broad Street in Salamanca.
According to investigators, Ortiz allegedly killed Leon at his home on Indiana Street in Rochester, then hid his body over 100 miles away. Police reported Leon’s body had blunt force trauma, and he appeared to have been dead for several days.
Police said Ortiz previously served prison time after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a 1993 case in Kings County. He was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison, released on parole in 2009 and discharged three years later.
Help Our Community
Please help local businesses by taking an online survey to help us navigate through these unprecedented times. None of the responses will be shared or used for any other purpose except to better serve our community. The survey is at: www.pulsepoll.com $1,000 is being awarded. Everyone completing the survey will be able to enter a contest to Win as our way of saying, "Thank You" for your time. Thank You!