What happened to Rachel Buckner? Fiancé arrested as law student found dismembered on California shoreline

The dismembered body of 27-year-old law student Rachel Buckner was found on the California shoreline on July 20, 2023. Nearly two months after the gruesome discovery, authorities arrested Rachel's fiancé Joseph Roberts in connection to her murder.

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of murder and dismemberment. Discretion is advised.

Rachel Buckner reportedly recently graduated from Golden State University with a degree in law. Alameda police confirmed that the remains were found wrapped in plastic and duct tape.

Rachel's family is mourning the death of 27-year-old mother. Rachel's mother also started a fundraiser with a target of $100,000 to meet the funeral expenses.

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Rachel Buckner's mutilated body was found near the Bay Farm Island Bridge in July

A hiker made the gruesome discovery near the Bay Farm Island Bridge around the San Leandro Channel, in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday, July 20, 2023. Officers from the Alameda Police Department arrived and found dismembered human remains wrapped in plastic and duct tape. Nearly a month after the discovery, police identified the victim as Rachel Buckner on August 30, 2023.

Law enforcement officials discovered that the feet, arms, and head were severed from the rest of the body but they are yet to find several body parts, including the head. Authorities also recently caught hold of another law student, Joseph Roberts, who they believe is the suspect in the murder. Several news agencies including the San Francisco Chronicle and KRON4 reported that Roberts and Buckner were romantically involved.

A police spokesperson said that the two had been dating and might even have been engaged.

Upon investigation, it has been revealed that the couple lived together in Pleasanton, California. They had no links to Alameda, the area where the victim's remains were found.

Roberts has been booked into Santa Rita Jail without bail and faces first-degree murder charges. His first court appearance for arraignment was scheduled for Friday, September 15, 2023. According to court records, his plea hearing has been set for September 21, 2023.

KTVU reported that the suspect never reported his partner missing. He also was accused of using Rachel Buckner's cell phone, even after her death. Roberts has also allegedly been in contact with several other women, the whole time.

The victim's family gave a statement to the TV station, where they said that Rachel's death had left a massive void in their community and village.

Authorities revealed that they found DNA on the duct tape that was used to wrap Buckner's remains. The DNA evidence allegedly matched Joseph Roberts' DNA. Authorities obtained a search warrant to look into his cell phone records and found that he contacted Rachel Buckner on July 13, about a week before she was found dead.

According to investigating officers, since then the suspect had reached out to three different women. Detective Robert Hansen stated that Roberts was using the victim's belongings including her car and phone, even after she died.

Hansen added that Roberts never reported Rachel missing at any point during the investigation. He added that the suspect's DNA was on the tape that was wrapped around her body, which meant that Joseph knew that she was dead and dismembered. Hansen continued that Roberts had potentially taken an "active role" in wrapping Rachel's body and "concealing it in plastic garbage bags.

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Authorities charged Roberts with first-degree murder

Considering all the available evidence, authorities arrested Joseph Roberts on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, from the apartment he shared with Rachel. Forensic evidence was allegedly obtained and indicated that the victim was murdered inside the apartment.

Buckner's family is grieving her loss, and have described her as someone who was "beautiful, brilliant, [and] kind," with "an incredibly bright future.” As mentioned earlier, her mother launched a fundraiser two days ago. The GoFundMe fundraiser's target amount is $100,000, and it has already raised more than $59,000 contributed by over 300 people.

In the fundraiser post, the victim's mother, S. Jamila Buckner, wrote:

"Imani [Rachel Buckner] was an accomplished woman on her way to being an exceptional professional. She was at the beginning of her life and her journey and had so much more life to live."

The post added:

"Imani is survived in life by her grandmother, mother, her older brother, her younger brother, her young daughter, her Aunt Sis, and a number of other beloved extended family members."

Alameda Police Chief Nishant Joshi has described the case to be extremely disturbing, considering the state of Rachel's body, when it was discovered in July. Police spoke about the tragic murder of Rachel Buckner, and said,

"Since July, APD has worked tirelessly to identify the involved parties and understand the series of events that led to this death."

It has been revealed that along with APD, the Pleasanton Police and the FBI would also assist in the investigation of the case.