Man accused of killing, dismembering wife whose remains were found at Ga. hunting club

RICEBORO, Ga. (TCD) -- Officials arrested a 40-year-old man in Pennsylvania last week after his 40-year-old wife’s dismembered remains were positively identified.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), on Dec. 2, 2022, hunters found the remains in the woods of the Portal Hunting Club near the Liberty and McIntosh county border. The GBI said the victim, later identified as Mindi Kassotis, was an apparent victim of a homicide and allegedly died one or two weeks before the discovery. Further testing reportedly determined the remains were placed in the area around Nov. 27, 2022.

The GBI released a forensic artist’s rendering of the victim on Jan. 5 as they tried to identify the remains. The GBI, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, also interviewed family members and obtained DNA swabs for comparison to create a profile through genealogy DNA and identified the remains as those of Mindi Kassotis on May 11.

The victim and her husband, Nicholas Kassotis, also known as Nicholas Killian James Stark, were reportedly living together in Savannah, Georgia, at the time of her death. The GBI identified her husband as the primary suspect and arrested him in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Friday, May 12.

Nicholas Kassotis faces charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, and removal of body parts from scene of death or dismemberment. He remains held in the Lancaster County Prison and is awaiting extradition back to Georgia.

MORE:

• Update to Original News Release: Unidentified Woman’s Remains Found in Riceboro — Georgia Bureau of Investigation
• Lancaster County Prison Records