The former husband of a Tucker County woman missing for more than seven years was arrested by the West Virginia State Police early Friday afternoon at a cabin in Leadmine.
Wesley Scott Cale Sr., 42, of Licking Creek Road in Tucker County was taken into custody Friday before 1 p.m. and charged with concealment of a deceased human body. The warrant was filed after police recovered skeletal remains on Scott Cale's property earlier in the week.
John Carson of the West Virginia Medical Examiner's office determined the remains are human. Police believe the remains to be those of Bonnie Cale, but do not yet have official results.
"We don't have identification of the body yet or a cause of death," said 1st Sgt. J.A. Wise of the Elkins detachment of the West Virginia State Police.
According to the complaint filed with the Tucker County magistrate's office, the remains were found under the dirt floor of an outbuilding behind Scott Cale's home. The remains were buried several feet deep with a quarter-inch thick steel plate, "further concealing the burial sight," the criminal complaint states.
After receiving a tip early Friday morning, police searched for Scott Cale's vehicle and found it parked at the home of his mother-in-law in Moore outside of Parsons. Police then found Scott Cale in a cabin belonging to Charles Schadewalb of Parsons.
Scott Cale was arraigned before Magistrate Carol Irons, who set bond at $150,000 cash only. He is being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail.
Bonnie Cale was reported missing in March 2002 after she didn't arrive at a relative's home in Ohio. Her vehicle was later found in Webster County about nine miles south of Cowen. Police pursued the case, but all leads were fruitless.
On Wednesday, Sgt. R.L. Stump of the Parsons detachment of the West Virginia State Police asked for a search warrant for Scott Cale's property. The judge who issued the warrant ordered it sealed.
Because of the availability of new technology, Wise said the search warrant was issued to allow them a chance to look in some places they couldn't before. The decision was made to utilize the equipment after a couple months of reviewing the case file, according to Wise. The ground-penetrating radar, which was used to locate the remains, allows images of what is below the surface of the earth to be displayed thereby helping investigators find things buried without removing the soil.
The extensive search involved approximately 20 state police officers, several members of the Appalachian Search and Rescue Team, two radar operators from West Virginia University and cadaver dogs who were on site from 7:30 a.m. Wednesday until about 3 a.m. Thursday. State police found the remains at approximately 2:45 p.m. Wednesday.
