North Vernon man arrested on Murder charges

Remains found in numerous locations throughout county during investigation

North Vernon Man Arrested for Murder

Today, Alan Joseph Marantos, age 34, North Vernon, Indiana was arrested on numerous charges related to the murder of a Jennings County man who has been missing since late March 2020.

The joint investigation by the Jennings County Sheriff’s Office and Indiana State Police began on March 28, 2020 when the family of Brian K. Kirby, age 52, North Vernon, Indiana reported him missing.  Kirby was last seen alive at an address on Primshire Court near North Vernon on March 27, 2020.

The lengthy investigation determined that Marantos attacked Kirby at the home on Primshire Court.  Marantos then loaded Kirby’s body in a vehicle and left the property.  Marantos took Kirby’s body to another location where Kirby’s body was burned.  Marantos then took the remains to multiple locations around Jennings County where they were discarded.

Investigators collected evidence, including human remains at numerous locations during the course of the investigation.  The Indiana State Police Laboratory recently determined that DNA from the human remains matched the DNA of Brian Kirby.

Alan Marantos has been incarcerated in the Jackson County Jail since April 2, 2020 when he was arrested on a Jackson County warrant for Robbery. 

This afternoon, Marantos was served an arrest warrant on charges of Murder, Robbery-Level 2 Felony, Aggravated Battery-Level 3 Felony, Abuse of a Corpse-Level 6 Felony, Obstruction of Justice-Level 6 Felony, and Intimidation-Class A Misdemeanor. 

He was additionally charged with Possession of Methamphetamine-Level 6 Felony, Resisting Law Enforcement-Class A Misdemeanor, and Leaving the Scene of a Crash-Class B Misdemeanor as a result of his arrest on April 2.

Marantos remains incarcerated in the Jackson County Jail.  He will soon face an initial appearance in the Jennings County Circuit Court.

The Indiana State Police and Jennings County Sheriff’s Office were assisted by numerous other agencies during this investigation.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office

Seymour Police Department

Indiana Conservation Officers

Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office

Indiana National Guard

Jennings County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team

Jennings County Swift Water Rescue Team

Indiana Department of Homeland Security

Jennings County EMA

Jennings County Prosecutor’s Office

Jennings County Coroner’s Office

Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office

University of Indianapolis Human Identification Center

Attached: Arrest Photo of Alan J. Marantos

Under the Law, criminal charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.