by Doug La Rocque
The Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office on Friday evening, March 4, announced the arrest of 22-year-old Ian J. Hasselwander of Petersburgh for the disappearance and death of 20-year-old Morgan Bates of Eagle Bridge. Bates was reported missing on Tuesday, February 22, with sightings reported early that morning in both Eagle Bridge and Petersburgh. Her body was subsequently located on Sunday, February 27 in a remote area of the Cherry Plain State Park near Black River Road.
Hasselwander now faces four felony counts, including Murder in the Second Degree, Assault in the First Degree, Strangulation in the First Degree and Concealment of a Human Corpse. He was arraigned in Troy City Court before the Honorable Judge Maier and remanded to the Rensselaer County Jail without bail.
This was a joint investigation by the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police and the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office. Assisting in the investigation were members of Washington County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Forest Rangers, New York State Intelligence Center (NYSIC) and the Capital Region Crime Analysis Center (CRCAC).
In the Sheriff’s Office press release, Sheriff Patrick Russo was quoted as saying “I would like to acknowledge and commend the professionalism, diligence and dedication of the members of the above-mentioned agencies who worked long hours, around the clock, which led to a timely arrest.”
The alleged murderer will be prosecuted by the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly is quoted as saying “Law enforcement has worked around the clock on this case since Morgan Bates disappeared. This was certainly not the outcome we had hoped for. This arrest is the first step towards justice for Morgan and her family.”
There have been some media reports since the arrest was announced citing court records detailing the degree of the assault upon Ms. Bates. Out of respect for the Bates family as they deal with this tragic event and to protect the integrity of the Sheriff’s Office investigation, The Eastwick Press has chosen not to publish these details at this time. Investigators returned to the area where Ms. Bates’ body was discovered on Tuesday, March 8, combing the ground for more possible pieces of evidence.
Ms. Bates was a 2019 graduate of Cambridge High School. Her funeral service was conducted by the E.P. Mahar & Son Funeral Home in Bennington on Saturday, March 5.