The body of a Boston-area Marine recruit missing since November has been found off Interstate 95 near Canton, Massachusetts, according to the Boston Police Department.
His recruiter, who has been confined to the Naval Consolidated Brig Charleston, South Carolina, since early February for charges unrelated to Brancato’s disappearance, was recently separated for charges unrelated to his death.
Joseph Brancato, a 21-year-old recruit out of the Roslindale recruiting station, was last seen Nov. 18, 2017, according to the Boston Police Department.
Brancato’s body was discovered along the wooded highway by a motorist Wednesday, according to Salem News. The cause and manner of his death are still under investigation.
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His Marine Corps recruiter, Gunnery Sgt. Frank Lipka, originally was considered a “person of interest” in the case, but police did not tie the gunny to Brancato’s disappearance, the Salem News reported.
The Marine recruiter was taken “into military custody for drunk driving, absence without authorization from work, and an altercation with two Marines in his unit,” Marine spokesman Capt. Gerard R. Farao told Marine Corps Times in February.
He was released from military custody on March 21 and subsequently reduced in rank to lance corporal and separated from the Corps March 23 for charges unrelated to Brancato’s death, Farao said Friday.
“Lipka's recent discharge was the result of an administrative procedure that is protected by the Privacy Act,” he said.
Lipka was detained at Logan airport by Boston police on March 23, the Salem News reported. The outlet reported that Lipka was transported back to Boston to face charges of “assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of ammunition,” after reports emerged he pulled a gun on a food delivery man on September 3, 2017.
Brancato’s relatives told the Salem News that Brancato had moved into Lipka’s apartment to prepare for boot camp.
It is not known if the gunny is still a person of interest in the death of Brancato. Marine Corps Times has yet to receive a response from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service or the Boston Police Department.
Shawn Snow is the senior reporter for Marine Corps Times and a Marine Corps veteran.
