Investigators believe a Lyndora man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend in his car temporarily disposed of her body near a Middlesex Township church.

Ishemer Ramsey, 21, left Melissa Barto's remains there shortly after the alleged shooting Thursday to get help to cover up his crime, according to state police criminal investigators.

He also needed to borrow a car with a trunk to transport the body out of the county.

Ramsey and a friend, James E. Howard-George, 23, drove the loaner car and retrieved the body, police said. They then took a meandering trip in hopes of finding a suitable hiding place for the body.

The two, police said, eventually settled on a secluded spot in northern Lawrence County.

They disposed of the remains, wrapped in a tarp, in a farm field, about 80 yards off the road.

Ramsey and Howard-George used lighter fluid to set the body on fire, then drove away.

Days later, police would find the badly burned remains that revealed at least one gunshot wound to the forehead.

A ring, a family heirloom, helped investigators tentatively identify Barto's body.

A third arrest in the case

Investigators on Tuesday laid out additional details into their investigation of Barto's death.

Ramsey and Howard-George are both being held without bail.

Ramsey is charged with homicide and tampering with physical evidence. Howard-George is charged with conspiracy to commit homicide and misdemeanor charges of abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence.

A third suspect, Joshua W. Bowser, 21, of Lyndora, is also in the county prison on $100,000 bail. Police believe he loaned his car to Ramsey to dispose of Barto's body.

Bowser is charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution, a felony, and conspiracy to commit the crimes of abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

Bowser had knowledge of conversations with Ramsey about Barto's death, according to a state police report.

The affidavit said Bowser knew of Ramsey's alleged plan to dispose of her body, before lending his vehicle to Ramsey.

Lt. Eric Hermick, who heads the state police crime unit, noted that at least two others could be charged in the ongoing investigation.

Police have been gathering information in their case since Barto's family reported her missing Friday.

She was last seen earlier in the day Thursday. Relatives became concerned when she did not attend her 6-year-old daughter's kindergarten graduation that evening.

Physical evidence and interviews with Ramsey's friends and associates led police to their worst fears — Barto had met with foul play.

'Fully cooperating'

Police first spoke to Howard-George on Saturday night. He provided important information about what happened to the woman, authorities said.

Investigators would interview him two more times. The third time, Monday evening, he revealed the most detailed information yet.

“He's fully cooperating at this point,” Hermick said.

Howard-George during his alleged confession recounted that he had prior conversations with Ramsey “about how Ramsey wanted to kill (Barto),” according to police.

Ramsey was angry with his girlfriend, who he suspected was cheating on him.

At some point Thursday, at a still unknown location, police believe Ramsey shot Barto with a .45-caliber pistol while the couple argued in his Hyundai Tiburon.

But he apparently was afraid about being seen with the body in his car. His small hatchback had no trunk.He took the body into the woods along a private driveway near the CrossWay Church on Davis Road just off Route 228 in Middlesex Township, and put it in a marshy field, police said.“(Ramsey) then meets with his friends or folks in (Butler's) Island (neighborhood) and solicits help,” Hermick said in recounting the timeline police pieced together.Investigators believe Ramsey recruited Howard-George.They drove to Morgan's Car Wash on Route 356 in Butler Township, court documents said, where Ramsey cut out the carpet on the front passenger floor, and “cleaned the vehicle interior with bleach and detergent.”The men also traveled to the Walmart at the nearby Butler Commons shopping plaza. Ramsey bought a tarp and rope. Howard-George purchased latex gloves.Ramsey got additional help from another friend, Bowser, who had a car— a Pontiac Grand Am — with a trunk.Investigators contend that Bowser knew why Ramsey wanted his car.“Bowser had knowledge of conversations with Ramsey about the killing and disposal plan for the victim before lending his vehicle to Ramsey,” according to documents.He loaned his car, the police affidavit said, “knowing that it would be used to transport and dispose of the victim.”Body placed in a rural areaPolice said Ramsey and Howard-George drove back to get Barto's body, which was placed in the Grand Am's trunk. They traveled north on Route 8 toward Interstate 80 looking for a place to drop the body.Eventually, they drove to a remote part of Lawrence County.“I don't know if they were familiar with it or not,” Hermick said. “But to find it, you almost have to know there's going to be an access road there.”Police suspect the men ignited the body with lighter fluid, which Howard-George had brought with them. They drove back to Butler.Troopers would eventually track down Bowser's Grand Am, which was taken to the state police impound lot. On Monday, a cadaver dog brought in from Harrisburg, Hermick said, “hit” on the trunk, indicating human decomposition was present at one time.That same day, the farmer who owns the property where Barto's body was discarded, found the remains about 7 p.m.At the scene, police said, investigators recovered “evidence of a lighter fluid can.”Police immediately notified the victim's family when they saw the remains were that of a female with clothing and jewelry that matched those that Barto was last seen wearing.Two officers went to the Barto family home to sit with them as the scene was processed.Investigators hoped an autopsy Tuesday would provide more information on any additional wounds and injuries, other evidence and the confirmation of Barto's identification.Case moved forwardBy the time police found the body, Ramsey was already behind bars — and already charged with homicide.Butler Township police about 7 p.m. stopped him driving his Hyundai on Eagle Mill Road in Connoquenessing Township. A short time earlier, Butler police had asked township officers to be on the lookout for him.Butler police Deputy Chief David Adam said city officers were seeking Ramsey in connection with their missing person investigation. They wanted to know what he knew about his girlfriend's disappearance.According to charging documents, township police were struck by the smell of bleach and saw a bottle of bleach in the car. They noticed the missing front passenger seat. Also missing was the carpet on the passenger side floor.Police said they found the defendant with a 1911-style .45-caliber pistol in a drop holster. A check of the gun, Hermick said, found that it was registered to a Butler woman.Troopers arrested Ramsey on Sunday. Two days later, they arrested Howard-George and Bowser.