SOUTH OTSELIC – The remote and relatively quiet town of South Otselic has been pulled into the spotlight as the scene of a horrific crime.

George Ford Jr., 42, of Piscataway, N.J., stands accused of second degree murder for allegedly causing the death of Shyanne A. Somers, 12, South Otselic, on July 8.

“Honestly it doesn’t surprise me. Anyone reading the news should be getting used to these sort of sick turns in our local affairs, and his story never made any sense,” said Mark Higner, a South Otselic resident.

“I’ve lived here for over 30 years, and it’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen happen so close to home. With everything else going on, it makes you wonder what’s going on,” said Vicky, another South Otselic resident who asked that her last name not be used.

Ford is only a seasonal resident of the town. He works for a construction company in New Jersey and owns properties in at least three different states. He was arrested in 1993 in the state of Arizona on drug-related charges.

“The defendant has some element of criminal history in his past and will be appearing in court Monday. We expect to ask that he be remanded without bail pending the resolution of this matter,” said District Attorney Joseph A. McBride.

The crime took place in the early hours of the morning between midnight and 3 a.m. along Will Warner Road. After the incident, Ford did not call for any help or notify anyone for assistance, even though he was less than a mile from his residence and the victim’s home.

“As we developed the case, new evidence came to light and it became clear in our minds he lied about her death,” said Chenango County Sheriff Thomas J. Loughren.

Ford eventually appeared at Chenango Memorial Hospital in Norwich at 5 a.m. with the girl’s remains in his pick-up truck, claiming her death was the result of an accident. Police launched their own investigation, later discovering a Global Positioning System (GPS) device in the vehicle. Police said Ford did not understand the capability of the device at the time he made his statement. His wife had placed it there, she said, because the couple was having marital difficulty.

After unlocking the GPS, police discovered a litany of discrepancies in Ford’s story.