Steven Parker, 52, a retired corrections officer, was reported missing for about a month before a grim discovery on June 29, 2016. His body was found concealed under a tarp in the backyard of his home on State Route 365 in Holland Patent, New York after two friends of his adopted son alerted authorities.

Investigation attention quickly turned to Steven’s 17-year-old adopted son, Austin Parker. Police apprehended Austin while he was driving a vehicle linked to the case; it was reported that he had been living in the house with his father’s concealed remains and giving conflicting accounts when asked about Steven’s whereabouts. Austin was charged with second-degree murder.

In October 2016 Austin pleaded guilty, admitting he shot his father and hid the body in the yard. Court records show a sentence of 18 to 22 years to life. Steven was remembered by neighbors as kind and helpful. Did anyone in the Holland Patent area have contact with Steven or his family in the months before June 2016?