Murder victim was set to testify in robbery case

The man whose bullet-riddled body was found in a suburban drainpipe in Chester County on Wednesday was scheduled to testify in a pending court case when he disappeared in January, according to police.

West Goshen Police Capt. Joe Gleason said that Jose Santiago, 70, of West Chester, may have been murdered because he was due to appear in court as a witness. Santiago had been the victim of a robbery in December, Gleason said.

According to the autopsy, Santiago died of multiple gunshot wounds and his body had been in the drainpipe off North Five Points Road for several months. Police are interviewing his family, his last contacts, and his associates, Gleason said. - Nancy Petersen