Boyfriend of missing North Side woman has allegedly admitted to killing her
The search for a woman who Columbus police say was last seen in late January remains ongoing while her boyfriend sits in jail — after allegedly confessing to killing her.
Renee Benedetti, 40, was last seen Jan. 29 in the area of the apartment of her boyfriend, Gene Scott Jr., on the city's North Side near Morse and Georgetown roads, police said.
Nearly a month later, the hunt for Benedetti continues, though the case is now classified as a suspicious death investigation by Columbus police. Scott, her 46-year-old boyfriend, is being held without bail in the Franklin County jail on a federal charge of illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. (Federal court does not have the option for bail.)
In her decision to hold Scott without bail, court records show a federal magistrate noted that Scott “confessed to murdering (his) girlfriend and dumping her body in a dumpster.”
Why did police search Scott’s apartment?
Columbus police have been involved in the case since at least Feb. 1, when they executed a search warrant at Scott's apartment on the 4900 block of Arbor Village Drive in the Beechwold area, according to federal court records.
The search warrant was obtained “to look for evidence of murder,” and the search took place on the same day Benedetti was reported missing, according to records.
“Investigators had received information that Scott's girlfriend was missing and that she had been murdered by Scott,” according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in connection with the federal weapons charge.
Columbus police said Thursday that the investigation into Benedetti's disappearance is now considered a “suspicious death investigation.” Police confirmed Benedetti's body had not been found as of Thursday afternoon.
Scott was not at the apartment when it was searched, but Columbus police reported finding a .22-caliber rifle leaning against a wall in a bedroom and a 9-milimeter pistol under a bed, as well as ammunition.
As a convicted felon, Scott is not allowed to possess or own guns.
Summit County court records show Scott was convicted in 1998 of felonious assault and aggravated robbery in connection with the 1997 beating of a man Scott and another man were trying to rob near Cleveland. Reports from the Elyria Chronicle Telegram at the time said the victim was found unconscious in a pool of his own blood, had two broken ribs and every bone in the man's face had been broken after he had been robbed and “left for dead.” The man was in a coma for more than three weeks.
Scott was sentenced to 18 years in prison in that case.
After Columbus police discovered the firearms, they filed a charge of having weapons under disability in Franklin County Municipal Court and sought
When did Scott get arrested?
According to court records, Scott was pulled over by Kentucky State Police the next day, Feb. 2, and another pistol was found in his pickup truck.
Scott was brought Feb. 8 to Columbus police headquarters, where he was interviewed and admitted to owning the rifle. He denied, however, owning the 9mm pistol that was found under the bed in the apartment, saying it must be Benedetti's.
Because the rifle was not manufactured in Ohio and therefore was involved in interstate commerce, a federal charge was filed against Scott and the Franklin County charge was later dismissed.
Scott told detectives during his interview that he had last seen Benedetti on Jan. 29, according to court records.
Social media profiles belonging to Benedetti and Scott list them as being in a relationship and both feature multiple photos of the couple, including a photo Benedetti posted of the pair on Jan. 25, one of her last public posts.
Scott's last publicly visible post is a “public apology” on Jan. 6 to Benedetti that ends by saying, “I have a lot to make up for. This is just a start. Acknowledging my failures. And asking for help. Please don't give up on me. On us. Our bubble. I love you.”
Since Benedetti was reported missing, the post's comments have become filled with questions about where Benedetti is and encouragement for those who know anything to go to police.
On Feb. 16, U.S. Magistrate Judge Chelsey Vascura held a detention hearing in federal court in Columbus and decided that Gene Scott should be held in jail pending his trial there. In her decision paperwork, Vascura said Scott had a history of violence and the weight of the evidence against him was strong.
Where is Scott now?
On Feb. 16, U.S. Magistrate Judge Chelsey Vascura held a detention hearing in federal court in Columbus and decided that Scott should be held in jail pending his trial there. In her decision paperwork, Vascura said Scott had a history of violence and the weight of the evidence against him was strong.
Vascura also noted later that Scott “confessed to murdering (his) girlfriend and dumping her body in a dumpster.”
No trial date has been set for Scott's case in U.S. District Court. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner