Hunter found fatally stabbed, beaten on grounds of South Jersey scout reservation
Joseph Bottino, 54, was found dead on the Boy Scout reservation in Pine Hill, Camden County.
An autopsy shows that a hunter whose body was found Wednesday on the grounds of a Boy Scout reservation in Pine Hill, Camden County, died of multiple stab wounds, as well as a beating.
The autopsy was conducted Thursday, according to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, which is investigating the homicide with Pine Hill police.
The victim was identified as Joseph Bottino, 54, of Gloucester Township. Authorities say Bottino left home Wednesday and never returned. His body was discovered about 6:30 p.m. on the 100 block of Watsontown-New Freedom Road in Pine Hill.
A medical examiner who performed the autopsy determined the death was a homicide based on the injuries.
Family members told detectives that Bottino was in the area to hunt. They said he had hunted in the location often.
The reservation, owned by the Boy Scouts of America Garden State Council, is a wooded camping facility for scouts, the closest one to Philadelphia.
Authorities ask that anyone with information on the homicide call Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Jeremy Jankowski at 856-397-3485 or Pine Hill Police Sgt. John Field at 856-783-1589. Tips can also be emailed to ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org.