A New Jersey man has been sentenced to prison for the 2016 death of Miguel Martinez III, whose remains were found years after he was reported missing. Martinez’s family reported him missing on June 15, 2016, according to documents filed in the case. For several months, detectives investigated h is disappearance by checking hospitals, phone records and social media records and interviewing people, but they were unable to locate Martinez. A witness came forward in January 2020 with details about how Martinez had been killed and how his body was disposed of, according to the court information. Documents said that investigators then obtained and executed search warrants for multiple properties on Fox Run Road in Deptford, where they recovered 106 bones that were later determined to be human remains. DNA and genetics testing determined that the remains belonged to Martinez. In a taped statement, Michael Zappley, 69, of Westville, admitted to an altercation with Martinez in which he grabbed Martinez from behind, restricted his airway until he could not breathe and struck him on the head with a steel door, according to court documents. Zappley said he left Martinez’s body outside overnight. When he returned, Zappley said he took the body to a wooded area off Fox Run Road and attempted to burn it. Gloucester County Prosecutors said Zappley was sentenced after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter and must serve 85% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. ...read more read less