A former Navy officer, 40, is charged with the murder of a 40-year-old woman after DNA experts finally uncovered her identity six months after a dismembered body was discovered at the Georgia hunting lodge
Nicholas James Kassotis, 40, was arrested and charged with the November 2022 murder of his 40-year-old wife, Mindi Mebane Kassotis
Mindi’s dismembered body was discovered in the woods on the grounds of a hunt club in Georgia last winter, but she was not identified until May 11.
Kassotis, a former JAG officer for the Navy, was arrested Friday in Pennsylvania. DNA samples from his family linked him to the murder.
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A former Navy JAG officer has been charged with the murder of his wife of 40 years after DNA experts finally uncovered her identity six months after her dismembered body was discovered at a Georgia hunting lodge.
Nicholas Kassotis, 40, was arrested in Pennsylvania on Friday after the remains of Mindi Mebane Kassotis were gruesomely discovered by hunters last December.
It is believed that by the time her remains were found on the grounds of the Portal Hunting Club in Riceboro, Georgia, she had already been dead for a month.
But it took another five months before her identity could finally be confirmed as the missing woman.
Mindi Mebane Kassotis is from New Orleans and was a writer and business owner
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation created an artist’s impression of the woman whose body they found, as there was no way to identify her at the time she was found.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has now charged Kassotis with malicious murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and removing body parts from the scene of death or dismemberment.
Mindi’s body was found by hunters on December 2, 2022 in Liberty County, Georgia.
The GBI determined that she was placed there sometime after November 18, although her identity was a mystery at the time.
After his family provided DNA samples, his identity was finally confirmed last Thursday. Kassotis was arrested the following day.
The FBI used a lab that specializes in advanced DNA testing and received results that moved the investigation forward. The GBI also interviewed family members and obtained DNA samples for comparison with the profile created by the genealogical DNA.
His remains had been found in the woods of Georgia on the grounds of the Portal Hunting Club in Riceboro, Georgia. The clubhouse is pictured
The dismembered body of Mindi Mebane Kassotis, 40, was found by hunters last December in Georgia
Another artist’s impression of the woman now known as Mindi Mebane Kassotis who was eventually identified as the victim on May 11
Mindi and Nicholas had been married for six years and lived together in Savannah. The motive for his murder is not known.
Mindi, a New Orleans native, was a writer and owned a business while her husband served in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
Currently, Kassotis is being held in Lancaster County Jail, but the plan is to extradite him to Georgia to face charges.
Mindi’s friends who went to school with her posted online how they were shocked by her untimely end.
“She touched so many lives. I hope she knew how many people loved her and how many missed her for so long. I also pray that she did not suffer. She was such a special person, a true friend to all,” one wrote.
‘So sad and awful! She was a good friend! His parents and siblings are in my thoughts and prayers. I found out about this a few hours ago and my heart sank,’ another added.