Click on graphic for larger image. Ling Low/Staff

Woman's body is found

Police arrest family friend who led them to her grave

A family friend of Tamara Dunstan was arrested Sunday in her abduction and slaying after authorities say Ronald Francis Burke admitted to the crime and led police to her shallow grave.

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Mr. Burke, 25, of the 3000 block of Wrightsboro Road, was charged Sunday with murder and kidnapping after a tip that police say they received Friday.

Bill Quinn, Mr. Burke's uncle, said Mr. Burke knew Mrs. Dunstan and her family. He said it's hard for him to believe his nephew could have been involved in Mrs. Dunstan's disappearance and death and that Mr. Burke "is a good kid."

But the good kid is the only person charged in the abduction and slaying of Mrs. Dunstan, 29, who police say interrupted a burglary at her mother's Kipling Drive home. The intruder cut a hole through the floor of the house and did not set off the security system.

Richmond County Sheriff Ronnie Strength said Sunday that the community should not worry because no one else is being sought in the crime.

"None whatsoever," he said. "Absolutely not."

The sheriff also said the Herend porcelain figurines, valued between $100 and $200 each, taken Thursday from the home were recovered Sunday.

Meanwhile, officials praised the work of the Augusta community for helping in the search and providing an essential tip, leading police to Mr. Burke.

That lead involved a pickup truck that had been spotted in the area where Mrs. Dunstan was abducted Thursday, Sheriff Strength said.

District Attorney Danny Craig said Mr. Burke was linked to that truck, which had been described as a blue or teal pickup with a missing tailgate that had been replaced by plywood. Mr. Craig wouldn't say where Mr. Burke was found.

"I can't say enough about the value of that and how indebted we are in the law enforcement community to those people who took the time to call in that information," he said.

After Mr. Burke was brought in for questioning late Saturday, he admitted to the crime and led police to Mrs. Dunstan's body, Mr. Craig said.

Edgefield County Sheriff Adel Dobey said Richmond County investigators and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents were led by Mr. Burke to a grave dug less than a foot deep in sandy soil about 30 feet east of a dirt and gravel track leading to U.S. Forest Service land in an isolated portion of western Edgefield County.

Surrounded by spindly pines and scrub oak, the burial site was found at about 7:15 a.m. less than a quarter mile away from a house on Quail Run just north of the Colliers community. The house is one of three located in this isolated area just off Martintown Road, Sheriff Dobey said.

"It's a heavily wooded area," he said.

After the crime's jurisdiction is determined, a decision should be made this week on whether the death penalty will be sought, Mr. Craig said.

He also plans to meet with the U.S. Attorney General's office in the next two days to discuss whether state and federal charges could stem from the case based on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act - passed by Congress and signed by President Bush earlier this month. The 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. Mrs. Dunstan found out recently that she was pregnant with her first child.

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

Richmond County Chief Deputy Coroner Mark Bowen said Mrs. Dunstan's body was taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in Augusta, and an autopsy began Sunday afternoon.

The cause of death was not readily apparent, and it could be midweek before it is determined, he said.

As word spread of the arrest and the discovery of Mrs. Dunstan's body, those who knew her expressed condolences to the family. "We've lost a wonderful colleague and a dear friend," said Deborah Humphrey, a spokeswoman at Medical College of Georgia Hospital. Mrs. Dunstan had been a pediatric oncology nurse at MCG's Children's Medical Center since 1999.

Ms. Humphrey said MCG will hold a memorial service, but details have not been finalized.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with her family," Ms. Humphrey said.

Mr. Quinn, Mr. Burke's uncle, said their family was also thinking of those who are grieving the loss of Mrs. Dunstan. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cundey and Dunstan family."

Staff writers Jeremy Craig, Dena Levitz, Jim Nesbitt and Amy Swann contributed to this article.

Timeline

Thursday, about 3:30 p.m.: Police say Mrs. Dunstan was at the residence of her mother, Faye Lewis Cundey, on Kipling Drive near Boy Scout Road, where she interrupted a burglary.

Thursday, 5:13 p.m.: Mrs. Cundey called 911 after finding her house broken into and failed to reach her daughter on the phone.

Thursday evening: Law enforcement officers began searching using dog teams and helicopters.

Friday: Family and friends blanketed the region with posters offering a reward for Mrs. Dunstan's return.

Friday, about 9 p.m.: Investigators began searching for a man driving a teal or light blue pickup truck, possibly a Nissan, missing a tailgate with plywood in its place, for questioning only.

Saturday, 5:15 p.m.: Bernard Dunstan III appealed directly to his wife's abductors at a news conference.

Saturday, 9 p.m.: Hundreds gathered for a prayer vigil.

Saturday, midnight: Police brought Ronald Francis Burke in for questioning.

Sunday, 7:15 a.m.: Mr. Burke led authorities to a site in Edgefield County where Mrs. Dunstan body is found. He was then charged with murder and kidnapping.

Coming up in the case