Body found in Mass. wooded area belongs to missing Marine recruit

A body found near I-95 has been identified as Joseph Brancato, a U.S. Marine recruit who had been missing since last year.(BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT)

A body found in a wooded area in Massachusetts belongs to a Marine recruit who vanished last fall, authorities said.

A driver spotted Joseph Brancato's remains along Interstate 95 in Canton shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday, a Norfolk District Attorney’s Office spokesman said.

The driver contacted Massachusetts State Police, which is investigating the case with Boston Police.

Brancato, whose manner of death remains undetermined, was living with Marine recruiter, Frank Lipka, in Roslindale when he was last seen on Nov. 19.

Prosecutors named Lipka, 39, a person of interest in the case Monday. He was charged with threatening a pizza delivery person in September, WCVB-TV reported.

Lipka was in military custody in South Carolina for an unrelated case. He was arrested when he returned to Boston on Friday.

Brancato’s family is desperately seeking answers about what happened to the 21-year-old Marine recruit.

“Somebody knows something, and they’re not coming forward,” Midge LeBaron, Brancato’s grandmother, told WCVB. “I wish they were in my shoes and know what I’m going through.”

- ny news