NEED TO KNOW
- On Sunday, Sept. 14, Amanda Rodriguez was found dead in the N.Y. home she shared with boyfriend Anthony Bechand
- Bechand has not been located by the police since her body was discovered. His truck was found abandoned 150 miles north of their home in Brighton, N.Y.
- Rodriguez, 41, died due to multiple stab wounds per her autopsy, according to multiple reports
Authorities are searching for a man suspected of killing his girlfriend at their New York home.
Anthony Bechand, 53, has not been located by police since his girlfriend, Amanda Rodriguez, was found dead at their Cohoes, N.Y. home on Sunday, Sept. 14. That same day, Bechand’s truck was found abandoned 150 miles north in the Adirondacks, on County Route 60 at the intersection of County Route 86 in Brighton, N.Y.
Rodriguez, 41, died due to multiple stab wounds per her autopsy, reported multiple outlets, including North Country Public Radio and WYNT.
“There’s evidence that puts him at the scene at the time,” Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler told reporters, per CBS News.
After Rodriguez’s body was discovered, the Cohoes Police Department enlisted the help of the New York State Police to locate Bechand.
Cohoes Police Chief Todd Waldin told ABC News that he “may be armed and dangerous.” As of early Friday, Sept. 18, Bechand was still not located by law enforcement agencies, which have officers on the ground, as well as help from helicopters, drones and K-9 units.
“We are leaving no stone unturned,” Waldin said, per North Country Public Radio. He added that the search began at the location where Bechand’s truck was found, in Brighton, N.Y. In the days since, its radius has expanded outward because Bechand could be “further and further away,” Waldin added.
“I don’t like the idea of this person being on the loose, whether he’s up in that area or whether he’s somewhere else,” Waldin said. “He’s somebody we believe committed a horrible crime and a dangerous person that we do not want out there in the public.”
“We also would like to give the victim’s family some peace of mind and whatever closure they can take from the fact that he is no longer out there,” Waldin continued.
Rodriguez’s friend Letha Cruz told CBS News that the couple had previously experienced troubles in their relationship.
“I knew it could get physical and they did fight, and I knew they were toxic for each other,” she told the outlet. “But I never expected this in a million years.”
“She was always for the underdog. She was always just full of light,” Cruz added to CBS News. “She was generous, kind, tough, very tough, especially when it came to protecting anybody that she thought couldn’t defend for themselves.”
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Anyone who may have seen Bechand or has information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the New York State Police at 518-897-2000.
Representatives for the Cohoes Police Department and the New York State Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Thursday.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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