Reading police and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Luke Foxx, 21, and Josiah Vaux, 23, on Thursday in connection with the disappearance of Michael Petrino Jr., a 23-year-old man who vanished in March after what investigators say was a bounty placed on his head. Foxx and Vaux now face second-degree murder, kidnapping and related charges, and Petrino's body has still not been found.
Arrests Follow Months of Investigation
According to pennlive.com, Foxx, of Reading, and Vaux, of Mohnton, were taken into custody on charges of second-degree murder, kidnapping and related offenses. fox29.com confirms the same slate of charges against both men. Petrino had been reported missing out of Lebanon County in late March, according to the pennlive.com report, and his body had still not been found as of Thursday.
Authorities say they now have probable cause to believe Petrino is dead even without recovering his remains, according to wfmz.com, which also reports that the FBI and other agencies are assisting in the continued search for his body. Per Daily Voice, Reading police transported Foxx and Vaux to central processing to await arraignment and say they continue to seek information about Petrino's whereabouts.
How Investigators Say the Abduction Unfolded
Police allege Petrino was lured to the area of North 2nd and Oley streets in Reading during the early morning hours of March 25, according to lebtown.com. The same report states that Petrino was assaulted, forcibly removed from his rented Jeep Compass, placed into a tan Chevrolet sedan and driven away, with Foxx and Vaux — both armed with firearms — allegedly binding him before transporting him away in their own vehicle.
The abandoned Jeep was later found in the 1200 block of Muhlenberg Street, towed and processed for evidence, the LebTown article notes. Daily Voice's reporting adds that investigators had learned Petrino was frequenting Reading before he disappeared, and that Reading police took the lead on the case after it began in Lebanon County.
A Bounty and a Group Chat
Investigators believe Petrino had ongoing issues with several people in Berks County and that a bounty had been placed on him, according to readingeagle.com. That outlet reports that three teenagers were participating in a group chat with three adults — Gerson Caicedo, Khalil Nein and Jazmeire Brockington — though a separate pennlive.com account names the three juveniles allegedly involved as Jayden Santiago, 17, Jayden Edwards, 16, and Amir Frazier, 16; the two accounts have not been reconciled.
Caicedo, Nein and Brockington were each charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment and conspiracy back in June, as reported by lebtown.com. Daily Voice's account adds that the Chevrolet sedan involved was registered to Caicedo, and that two of the boys were charged as adults with kidnapping, robbery and conspiracy while a third boy faced kidnapping, false imprisonment and conspiracy charges, with all three in custody by the time of that June announcement. Caicedo and Brockington were already incarcerated on unrelated charges at that point, while Nein was arrested with assistance from the Berks County Emergency Response Team, according to Daily Voice.
Charges Escalated to Murder in July
By mid-July, prosecutors had amended the complaints against the three adult suspects to include second- and third-degree murder charges on top of the earlier aggravated assault, kidnapping and conspiracy counts, the Reading Eagle reported. Thursday's arrests of Foxx and Vaux mark the latest development in what the same report describes as a seven-month investigation that remains active.
Daily Voice reports that Reading police are asking anyone with information in the case to call 610-655-6116. Crime Alert Berks County also accepts anonymous tips at 877-373-9913 and offers cash rewards for information leading to an arrest, according to the same report.
