Police searching for NJ man accused of murdering hunter
A New Jersey man suspected of fatally beating and stabbing a hunter to death in the rural southern section of the state is the subject of a large scale manhunt, authorities said.
Shawn Massey, 38, of Gibbsboro, N.J. is suspected of killing hunter Joseph Bottino, 54, of Gloucester Township, whose body was found Dec. 23 riddled with stab wounds and blunt injuries.
Bottino’s body was discovered on the edge of a forest on the Watsontown-New Freedom Road near Berlin, N.J., about 15 miles southeast of Camden, an area on the western side of the Pine Barrens.
Bottino had hunted in the area many times before, authorities said. Unspecified evidence at the scene led them to suspect Massey, who had gone missing from his parents’ home the day of the homicide.
Bottino left behind a wife, a son and a daughter. Friends posted a fundraiser for the family’s expenses online, describing the Bottinos as “enormously generous, exceptionally kind, and unfathomably strong.”
“Joe was an incredibly lovely spirit, with an infectious kindness in his heart, which he led with at all times,” they wrote. “An enormous heart equates to an enormous loss, which the family is still coming to terms with. Joe loved his family ferociously, and his wife, Jen with incredible tenderness.”
Massey was charged with the murder Jan. 16.
“We understand many people are concerned that an arrest has not been made. Since the crime, there has been an increased law enforcement presence in that area and we have conducted multiple, coordinated searches in an effort to locate Massey,” said Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer.
Massey, officials have said, has mental health issues and has been “aggressive” in the past. He was released from the state prison at Fort Dix in March 2020 after serving 20 months on assault charges.
Massey has been charged in absentia with one count of first-degree murder, officials said.
Anyone with information on the case can email ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org.
