Feb 1, 2020 2 min read

Though officials in Nevada are prepared to file a homicide charge against a Maryland man, they are being delayed by a dispute over the location of the body of the Bethel Park woman he allegedly murdered.

John Matthew Chapman, 40, of Oakland, Md., is currently facing a trial for kidnapping and obstruction of justice in Pittsburgh.

He originally told Bethel Park police he had driven his girlfriend, Jaime Rae Feden, 33, to Las Vegas and murdered her in the desert in late September. However, he later recanted and claimed he was innocent.

Nevada officials discovered Feden’s body Oct. 5, and were able to identify her through dental records after Bethel Park police arrested Chapman in November.

Since then, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department has been investigating Chapman for the murder.

Lincoln County Sheriff Kerry Lee said they have sent a preliminary report to the district attorney, but they cannot file charges because there is a question over whether Feden was found on public or private land.

“We’re in a holding pattern because of determining the ownership of the property. That is going to be large,” Lee said.

If Feden was found on public land, the FBI and Department of Justice would take over the case. If it’s private land, Lee’s department is responsible for filing charges.

Lee said he was at the scene with federal authorities about a month ago, and they are currently waiting on the results of a land survey.

“I thought it was going to be completed by now,” Lee said. “When we were out there at the scene a month ago, they were hoping it would be done in two weeks.”

Investigators from Lee’s department came to Pennsylvania to meet with Bethel Park police after Chapman’s Dec. 5 preliminary hearing. Lee said Bethel Park continues to provide additional information from search warrants.

Once charges are filed, Lee said Chapman will be extradited to Nevada to face the more severe charges.

“I think once the land thing is cleared up, you would see charges coming pretty rapidly,” Lee said.