SHERBURNE – Police have uncovered the body of who they believe is a Pittsfield man killed during an attempted drug robbery that erupted into a lethal gun battle.

“We found the blood, the guns and the drugs. All we were missing was the body. This is now a homicide investigation,” said Loughren.

The body was discovered with help from Robert R. Reynolds, 46, Sherburne, who claims he killed Joshua D. Richheimer, 32, in self defense last week and then with the help of his neighbor, Nicholas S. Simonds, 21, buried the body a few hundred yards from his house.

“We are investigating to see if it was a justifiable homicide. Some of what we have uncovered does implicate the deceased as the aggressor,” said Loughren.

Investigators say Reynolds told them he was a known drug dealer in the area and that he kept a quantity of marijuana and cash at his house on 476 Pleasant Valley Road, Sherburne.

On July 24, the last night Richheimer was seen alive, a man came to Reynolds’ residence armed with a sawed off 12-gauge shotgun and at 9:45 p.m., that man allegedly kicked in Reynolds’ front door. Reynolds said he armed himself with his own 12-gauge he kept loaded next to his bed and the two men then engaged each other inside the house. Reynolds said he was shot at first and that he returned fire. During the course of this gunfight, several rounds were fired into the walls of the residence and at least one bullet went through the front window, said police. Just prior to the incident, Reynolds claimed he had sold a large quantity of marijuana to another man earlier in the night.

Police confirmed a gun battle did take place inside the Sherburne home and that Richheimer was killed inside.

Tuesday morning, the body was located a hundred yards up the road from the Pleasant Valley Road house, across an open pasture buried using an excavator some 40 yards into a wooded area. It had been buried in a four- to six-foot grave two days after Richheimer was killed. A sawed off 12-gauge shotgun was also uncovered with the body.

Police have not yet officially confirmed the identification of the body, but did say it appeared to be Richheimer. Police said an autopsy will be done this morning at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton to confirm the man’s identity and determine the cause of death, although officials did report the body had at least one gun shot wound.