This week, a body was found in the Genesee River in Rush. It was later confirmed as that of a missing woman from Honeoye Falls. Her sister is now being charged with her murder, Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter said Friday afternoon.
On October 11, deputies went to Penny Busch’s home on Ontario Street in Honeoye Falls to make sure she was okay. They found that she had gone missing in a strange way.
“The investigation quickly grew into a search of Busch’s eight-acre property,” Baxter said. Monday, investigators got new information that helped them search the river and find the body.
Baxter says that deputies caught Busch’s sister on Friday, just hours after the body was discovered.
He is 53 years old and from Honeoye Falls. He is charged with murder and messing with physical evidence.
A spokesperson for the Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District said that Jamie Busch was an aide at the middle school in the district and has been put on leave. The school district said it is working with police fully.
“The arrest of a district worker on serious charges has had a profound effect on all of us,” Superintendent Gene Mancuso said in a statement. “We are shocked and saddened by the reports.”
Although we have never encountered a situation like this in our district, we are confident that, as a community, we will come together, support one another, and get through this difficult time. Please be assured that the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our top priority, and we are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for everyone.
Rick Milne, mayor of Honeoye Falls, said that the situation has been upsetting for everyone in the town.
“People were very concerned about safety,” he noted. “They can see the vehicles, the K-9, the drones, and the staging area.” I can see that raised a lot of red flags for people.
After being charged in Mendon Town Court, Busch was taken to the Monroe County Jail without bail. There is a court date set for Thursday.
A person named Stanley Worboys lives across the street from Penny. I think she had been living there for a year. He said he knew something was very wrong from the start of the investigation.
“Just the amount of activity, it wasn’t your typical missing person,” said Worboys.
Wor boys has lived in Honeoye Falls for most of his life. He said that the investigation has made the small town feel uneasy.
“It’s sort of sad that our reputation of being a safe community has been compromised a little bit,” said he. “It’s been a place where you can trust the kids to be outside in the dark and so-forth, it’s never been an issue.”
Baxter wouldn’t say what he thought might have caused the crime. The study keeps going.
