The estate of Wilfredo Colon-Rodriguez filed the lawsuit Tuesday against 74 year old Marylou Johnson – also of Busti – in State Supreme Court in Chautauqua County.

Johnson was charged with second degree manslaughter and later convicted after it was determined she had struck Colon-Rodriguez with a vehicle on Swanson Hill Rd. in the Town of Randolph after it had gotten stuck in the mud on the night of April 15, 2018. According to police, Colon-Rodriguez was working to free the vehicle when Johnson ran him over and then fled the scene. It was later determined the two had been returning to their homes in Busti after drinking at a friend’s home in Randolph, along with other locations.

In September, Johnson was sentenced to 2 to 6 years in state prison following a conviction on a second-degree manslaughter.

The civil lawsuit is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

Wilfredo “Fred” Colon Rodriguez, Jr. (from Facebook)

JAMESTOWN – New York State Police have identified a body that was discovered in the Town of Randolph over the weekend.

According to an update from the New York State Police released early Monday night, the body that was discovered Saturday afternoon in Randolph has been identified as 48 year-old Wilfredo Rodriguez-Colon of Busti.

Police say Rodriguez-Colon’s body was discovered Saturday, April 21 at about 5:15 p.m. off of Swanson Hill Road in the Town of Randolph in nearby Cattaraugus County. Police say local residents discovered the body and called authorities.

According to a post on Facebook dated Sunday, April 22, the family of a man with the name “Wilfredo ‘Fred’ Colon Rodriguez Junior” of Lakewood (a village in the town of Busti) say he was last seen on April 15. Family members had reached out to the public to help find him. The name the police provided is not an identical match to the name of the individual as it is listed under his Facebook account, but his family has confirmed it was him.

Colon-Rodriguez’s body has been scheduled for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. State police say the Erie County Medical Examiners Office, along with the Cattaraugus County Coroner helped to identify the body. 

State police in Jamestown are also investigating the discovery of another body that was also found on Saturday, near Route 20 in Portland. An unidentified male body was discovered just before 3:30 p.m. by a passing motorist. No other details were provided, other than police saying the body is scheduled for an autopsy to determine the identity and the cause of death.

In a media release on Saturday, state police said both discoveries are being treated as ongoing investigations and wouldn’t provide any more information.

However, according to the Jamestown Post-Journal, state police have said there was “no reason to believe” the circumstances surrounding the two separate bodies are related.

Neither death is believed to be connected to the disappearance of 35-year-old Sean Carpenter, the Jamestown man last seen in the early morning hours of Wednesday, April 11 as he walked downtown on Pine Street between 2^nd and 1^st streets.

An extensive search for Carpenter has been underway since his disappearance, including an aerial search of the Chadakoin River on Friday.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Jamestown Police Department at 483-7537, or leave an anonymous tip at 483-TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent through the department’s 411 cellphone app.

According to a public Facebook post by a family member, Wilfredo “Fred” Colon Rodriguez Junior hasn’t been seen since the 15th.

They ask that if anyone has seen him or knows his whereabouts to contact the Lakewood-Busti Police, Jamestown Police or New York State Police.