Randall Rich

MANCHESTER TWP, York County — Authorities are trying to determine how the body of a Butler man ended up among recyclables at a plant about 250 miles away from the city.

The body of 59-year-old Randall David Rich was found at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Penn Waste Recycling Facility, according to the Northern York County Regional Police Department.

The body was on a conveyor belt and discovered by employees who were sorting the recyclables, said Sgt. Greg Anderson.

Anderson said the cause of Rich’s death has not yet been determined.

Nor do officials yet know how the body got to the plant. Recyclables at the plant are collected from waste companies throughout southwest Pennsylvania and Maryland, he said.

York County Coroner Pam Gay could not be reached for comment. However, she released multiple statements about the body via her official Twitter account, including this one on Monday: “The decedent appears to have been deceased at least for a few days.”

Rich had lived at the apartment complex at 130 Campbell St. in Butler until June 1. He began living there in the fall, according to landlord Debbie Oesterling.

“I can’t comment on why he was evicted,” she said. “He was on a month-to-month lease. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Robert Day, who lives in the apartment above where Rich lived, said he heard Rich mention that he had a “lady friend” in York.

Day said Rich often argued with another man who lived nearby.

“They thought they were Joe Louis and Cassius Clay,” he said. “They couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag. All they did was fight and curse and swear.”

According to Day, Rich and the man, who is unknown, would argue about $200 that Rich owed the man. Day also said Rich was prone to other outbursts.

“He’d walk up and down Main Street and challenge everybody,” he said.

Rich had a relatively minor criminal record, according to online court records.

He most recently served a nearly six-month sentence in the Butler County Prison for violating the terms of an enforcement order in a criminal case.

In that case, filed by city police in 2013, he pleaded guilty to a summary charge of defiant trespass. In exchange for his plea, misdemeanor charges of theft from a vehicle and trespass were dismissed.

Rich also pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in 2011 in Allegheny County, and to public drunkenness in 2003 in Biglerville Borough, Adams County.

In 2009, Hanover police in York County ticketed him for public drunkenness. He never appeared for his hearing and a warrant was issued. Records showed that warrant is still active.

Anyone who knows Rich is asked to call the Northern York County Regional Police Department at 717-292-3647.

Eagle staff writers Jim Smith, Aaron McKrell and Kim Paskorz contributed to this report.