A man connected to human remains discovered on his Hildebran property more than four years ago is now facing charges in two North Carolina counties after being tracked down in Naples, Florida. Mark Anthony Ortiz, 27, was taken into custody by Florida's Collier County Sheriff's Office in June 2026, closing out nearly four years on the run tied to the 2021 disappearance of Anthony Jaworsky.
According to the Burke County Sheriff's Office, Ortiz faces felony concealment of death in Burke County and felony obstruction of justice in Catawba County. Court records cited by WCNC show that before his Florida arrest, Ortiz had escaped law enforcement custody in West Virginia and spent time bouncing between Florida hotels while evading authorities. The obstruction charge stems from allegations that Ortiz gave false information to investigators during the initial inquiry into Jaworsky's disappearance, per the same report.
Jaworsky, a 29-year-old father of three, was reported missing to the Catawba County Sheriff's Office in July 2021. WSOC-TV reported that his car was found unoccupied along I-40 in Iredell County. His family has said he would never willingly abandon his children, according to Crime Solvers Central.
Cadaver Dogs Lead Deputies to a Fish Camp Road Property
Catawba County investigators developed information that Jaworsky may have last been seen in Hildebran, in neighboring Burke County, prompting them to ask the Burke County Sheriff's Office for assistance in July 2022. Deputies and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agents then executed a search warrant at 3584 Curley's Fish Camp Road, Ortiz's listed address, where trained cadaver dogs alerted to multiple locations on the property. WSOC-TV reported that deputies subsequently dug along the driveway and elsewhere on the land, uncovering suspected human remains.
Burke County investigators obtained warrants that same day charging Ortiz with felony concealment of death, while Catawba County separately charged him with felony obstruction of justice. A Catawba County grand jury returned a formal indictment on the obstruction charge in February 2024, while Ortiz remained unaccounted for.
Captured in Naples, Returned to North Carolina
Ortiz was located in Naples, Florida in June 2026, where Collier County deputies arrested him as an out-of-state fugitive, also charging him with resisting an officer and fraud for presenting false identification under the name Edwin Manuel Ortiz, per The Paper. He was extradited back to North Carolina in early October and served with the outstanding warrants at the Catawba County Magistrate's Office.
At his initial Catawba County court appearance this past Monday, the court appointed attorney Va Ly Yang to represent Ortiz, with his next Catawba County District Court date set for December 2. He also has a first appearance scheduled in Burke County for October 22. Ortiz remains in custody under secured bonds totaling $751,000 across both counties.
Legal Proceedings Continue
The Burke County Sheriff's Office says it is consulting with the District Attorney's Office regarding potential additional charges and may release further information as the case develops. Investigators considered Jaworsky's disappearance suspicious, even as existing charges remain focused on concealment of death and obstruction of justice.
Under North Carolina General Statutes § 14-401.22(a), failing to notify law enforcement or secretly disposing of or burying a body with intent to conceal a death is classified as a Class I felony, according to Justia Law. Penalties under the statute can increase depending on the circumstances surrounding the death.
Hildebran was the site where the remains were found.
