NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. – A woman found dead in an apartment last month was left there for at least two weeks after she died, according to a probable cause affidavit released Monday.
David Buckwalter was arrested over the weekend in connection with the death of his girlfriend, 51-year-old Colette Bauer, who was found dead in his apartment June 20th.
According to court documents, Buckwalter invited a different woman to stay at his place on Bridge Street in New Cumberland the night before the discovery.
Police say the woman noticed a foul odor when she walked into Buckwalter's apartment. The woman told police in a prior encounter between the two, Buckwalter told her not to go behind a curtain covering the entry to a bedroom.
She woke up the next morning and when she couldn't find him, she looked behind that curtain, and saw Bauer's body under a sheet in a bed, police said.
It was a very surprising discovery and when police arrived at the apartment they found many other unusual things, including air fresheners, deodorant powders, and they also said that the thermostat was set to a very low 64 degrees, suggesting that Buckwalter may have been trying to preserve the body.
Witnesses estimate that Bauer was last seen about three weeks prior to the day she was found dead. Neighbors still cannot believe what happened.
“I don't know how to feel about that situation,” neighbor Donald Solonica said. “I know the police were over there all day long, and I mean, it was a little upsetting.”
There have not been murder charges filed. Instead, Buckwalter faces a misdemeanor count of abuse of a corpse and is being held on $250,000 bail. He faces a preliminary hearing on August 5th.