Mainstreet Daily News
Gainesville police arrested Joseph William Branham, 26, on Thursday for the murder of his father, Joseph Craig Branham, 53, as well as tampering with/fabricating evidence and altering/destroying/concealing evidence.
GDP officers arrived at a home in northeast Gainesville (2923 NE 9th Street) on Tuesday after receiving a call for a medical emergency.
In a phone interview, Graham Glover, GPD’s public information officer, said a family member had called the police concerned after not hearing from the victim.
The officers found no one at the home but learned that Branham and his father, Joseph Craig Branham, lived at the address.
While investigating, officers learned that the father and son had fought, and the son had indicated to witnesses that his father was dead.
A witness told officers that the younger Branham came out of the woods near the home on the morning of August 6. Officers searched the woods and found items belonging to both father and son.
GPD called for a K-9 tracking team from the Department of Corrections to search along the path of the items found. The team found the body of the father in a small body of water at the end of the trail.
Glover said Joseph Craig Branham died between August 4 and 6.
The same day, officers served a warrant for the residence and found items connecting the son to the death. An autopsy performed on Wednesday indicated the manner of death.