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Orville Cousins, 30, is charged with desecration of human remains and hindering apprehension, Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal announced Wednesday.
Cousins, who is single and unemployed, originally was charged after Grewal’s investigators said they learned that he and his sister, 43-year-old surgical technician Adrienne Smith, “purchased materials that were used in connection with the desecration” of 44-year-old Randolph Smith, Grewal said.
“Some of those materials were subsequently recovered from the [couple’s] Bergenfield residence,” the prosecutor said after their January arrests.
Someone killed Randy Smith, but it hadn’t yet been determined who.
Cousins was taken into custody in the Bronx in mid-January before being extradited to New Jersey two weeks ago. He remained held Wednesday in the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing.
Randolph Smith left his home with "an unknown person" around 8:30 p.m. Dec. 25, Bergenfield Capt. Mustafa Rabboh said.
His wife didn’t report him missing until Jan. 2, however, authorities noted.
Ten days later, human remains found in six plastic containers in Burlington were identified as Randolph Smith’s, the prosecutor said.
Grewal thanked the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, Burlington City Police Department, Bergenfield Police Department, New York City Police Department and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation.
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