Ronald Francis Burke: suspect in the disappearance of Tamara Dunstan. Special

Man charged with abducted woman's murder leads police to body

Tamara Dunstan found in shallow grave

Authorities say the man arrested today in the kidnapping and slaying of Tamara Dunstan admitted to the crime and led police to her body.

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Missing woman found: Click on image for a larger map. Staff

"One reason why we think he might be involved is because he told us and he took us to the body," said District Attorney Danny Craig, referring to Ronald Francis Burke Jr., 25, of the 3000 block of Wrightsboro Road.

Mr. Burke, who according to one of his relatives knew the Cundey family, was taken in for questioning Saturday and was later charged today with murder and kidnapping. Mr. Craig said Mr. Burke was located Saturday based on a lead police received concerning a suspicious truck that had been spotted in the area of Mrs. Dunstan's abduction Thursday at her mother's house on Kipling Drive.

Police have said that abduction occurred during a burglary at the house.

"We actually did get our information on Friday afternoon from several different people, which did lead to an initial traffic stop of Mr. Burke last night (Saturday night)," Mr. Craig said, adding that Mr. Burke was found in the truck that authorities were looking for.

The truck was described as a blue or teal late model pickup that may have been a Nissan with a missing tailgate that had been replaced by plywood. The person described in the truck was a white male in his mid-20s.

Edgefield County Sheriff Adel Dobey said Richmond County investigators and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents were led by Mr. Burke to a shallow grave dug just a few feet off a dirt road on U.S. Forest Service land in an isolated portion of western Edgefield County.

The burial site was located at about 7:15 a.m. today about a quarter mile away from 124 Quail Run Road just south of the Colliers community. The house is one of two located in this isolated area just off Martintown Road, said Sheriff Dobey.

"It's a heavily wooded area," said Sheriff Dobey. "She was found in a shallow grave."

Mr. Craig said a decision should come sometime this week on whether the death penalty will be sought. That should come as soon as the jurisdiction of where the case will be tried is determined.

He said he also plans to meet with the U.S. attorney general in the next two days to discuss whether state and federal charges could stem from the case based on an unborn victims of violence act, which was passed by Congress and signed by President Bush earlier this month.

That act allows authorities to charge a suspect with a separate offense for harming or killing a child in the womb in addition to any charges relating to the mother.

"That certainly will figure into the discussion that I will have with the U.S. attorney general," he said.

Richmond County Chief Deputy Coroner Mark Bowen said Mrs. Dunstan's body has been taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in Augusta and an autopsy is taking place now. He said there is no obvious cause of death.

Staff Writers Jeremy Craig, Dena Levitz, Jim Nesbitt and Amy Allyn Swann contributed to this report.

Reach Preston Sparks at (706) 828-3904 or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com

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Previous Stories

• Burke asks for attorney at Tamara Dunstan slaying hearing
• Woman's body is found
• Service becomes 'rally of tears'
• Heavily-wooded area yields shallow grave
• Who is Ronald Francis Burke?
• Family hopes public can help
• Woman is selfless, friends say
• Family, friends gather for vigil
• Family of missing woman releases statement
• Family members call on abductors to safely return missing 29-year-old
• Police search for pregnant Augusta woman

--From the Sunday, April 18, 2004 online edition of the Augusta Chronicle