The son of a murdered College Township couple was arrested early Friday morning in New York City on charges of unauthorized use of his parents' ATM card, the State College Police Department said Friday.
Daniel Opdenhoff, son of slain William and Georgeann Opdenhoff, was arrested by New York City police at about 6 a.m. Friday in Manhattan, the State College Police Department said.
After the arrest, State College detectives went to New York to investigate if there was a connection between the use of the ATM card and the double homicide.
The detectives' interviews yielded additional evidence in both the ATM card and double homicide investigations, police said yesterday. No additional information was released.
Police said they tracked the missing 24-year-old's whereabouts over the course of the last week as he used his parents' card at various locations. Daniel Opdenhoff's first transactions took place in State College, but he later used the cards in Philadelphia and New York City.
The State College Area High School graduate had been missing since his parents were discovered dead in their 319 Hill Drive home early last Monday morning. Police said Daniel Opdenhoff left the area the day before, Oct. 20, when he took a bus to Philadelphia.
Daniel Opdenhoff has not been named a suspect in the murders. Police said they want to talk to him to understand what happened to his parents on the evening of Oct. 19.
"He has only been charged on unauthorized use of his parents' credit cards," Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar said at a press briefing Friday.
Gricar said he would not name Daniel Opdenhoff or anyone else a suspect. He said that it is unfair to use the word "suspect" because someone is either charged with a crime or is not.
"If there comes a time when we have enough evidence to charge the murder, we will," Gricar added.
Daniel Opdenhoff, who police said suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, remains in a New York jail pending extradition procedures, police said. Depending on whether he fights extradition, Daniel Opdenhoff could arrive back in State College this week.
William and Georgeann Opdenhoff were found dead in their secluded College Township home around 12:15 a.m. Monday after a female relative was unable to contact them.
When police arrived, they found the couple dead from blunt force trauma to the head and determined the time of the deaths to be between 6:30 and 10:30 p.m. Oct. 19.
Police have not found a murder weapon.
"We can only indicate we have recovered evidence," State College Police Chief Tom King said.
