On the evening of December 8, 2024, concern began to mount for 60-year-old Richard Fluegel Sr. of Irondequoit, New York, when he failed to return home as expected. The worry intensified the following morning when he missed a scheduled flight. This uncharacteristic absence prompted his family to report him missing, setting in motion an investigation that would uncover a tragic and unusual series of events. The Irondequoit Police Department initiated a search, which soon led to the discovery of his vehicle in a parking lot in the Village of Dansville on December 9th. This finding escalated the concern for his well-being and brought the Livingston County Sheriff's Office into the investigation.
Later that same evening, the case took a bizarre turn. Around 11:30 p.m., the Livingston County Emergency Communications Center received a startling call from a defense attorney. The attorney reported that his client was in the parking lot of the sheriff's office and wished to turn in a deceased body. Deputies and investigators responded to the parking lot and encountered Richard Fluegel Jr., the 30-year-old son of the missing man. Inside the vehicle with Fluegel Jr. was the body of his father, Richard Fluegel Sr., who had sustained apparent gunshot wounds.
The investigation quickly determined that the fatal shooting had occurred at a property on Bonner Road in the Town of Ossian. It was at this location that Richard Fluegel Jr. was reportedly attempting to establish a marijuana cultivation operation. Evidence suggested that Fluegel Jr. had shot his father twice with a 12-gauge shotgun. Following the shooting, he allegedly wrapped his father's body in a tarp and concealed it in his 2018 Audi. The weapon believed to have been used in the homicide was later recovered by investigators.
On December 10, 2024, authorities arrested Richard Fluegel Jr. and charged him with second-degree murder, first-degree criminal use of a firearm, and tampering with physical evidence, all of which are felonies. Due to two prior felony convictions, he was remanded to the Livingston County Jail without bail following his arraignment. Fluegel Jr. pleaded not guilty to all charges. The investigation into the motive and the specific events that transpired between the father and son leading up to the shooting is ongoing.
