BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — The man charged in the murder of Riley Crossman, 15 of Berkeley Springs, has waived his right to have a preliminary hearing within 10-days after his arrest.
Andy McCauley Jr, 41, was scheduled for a Friday preliminary hearing. The Morgan County Magistrate’s Office confirmed to the Panhandle News Network it has been rescheduled for June 12 at 2 pm.
McCauley waived his preliminary hearing within two days after the state Medical Examiner’s Office positively identified Crossman’s body.
MetroNews previously reported McCauley was taken into custody by state police on May 16 hours after the body of 15-year-old Riley Crossman was found.
Officers from the Division of Natural Resources, assisting with the community-wide search, found Crossman’s decomposed body on an embankment near the 5500 block of Tuscarora Pike in Berkeley County, about five miles from Interstate 81.
“The body was positioned over an embankment in a rural mountain road section of Tuscarora Pike near the mountain top,” Bohrer said.
Crossman was last seen in the early morning hours of May 8, and her mother reported the girl missing after learning she had not gone to school. A community search began and spanned several days.
According to the criminal complaint, authorities used cadaver dogs to pick up the scent of a body in McCauley’s work truck. They also spotted drywall mud in the pickup truck bed.
According to troopers, there was what appeared to be drywall mud on Crossman’s right shoulder and right foot when her body was found that morning. A motive and cause of death has yet to be released.
Services for Crossman will be held this weekend at Brown Funeral Home in Inwood. Visitation is scheduled for Saturday afternoon from 3-5, then 7-9. A funeral service will be held at 3 Sunday afternoon.
Since Crossman’s death, several community events have been planned. Lance Crossman, Riley’s father, has been organizing a paper lantern release.
“We have purchased 800 lanterns,” Crossman said in a public Facebook post. “We do not know how many people will be at Saturday’s services. We will split them evenly between both viewing times. We will ask that everyone take them home, write a message to Riley and any other loved ones who have passed, and light them at 11:11 pm Saturday night from wherever they are. Our hope is that they can be seen all over the (Eastern) Panhandle.”
In addition to the lantern release, a Facebook page titled “Color the Street Purple” invites the community to line the street outside of Brown Funeral Home dressed in purple.
“Everyone could wear purple, hold purple flowers or balloons,” the page reads.
A candlelight vigil brought hundreds to Berkeley Springs State Park on May 16.