“Person of interest’’ in murder of man killed in N.O. and unearthed in St. Bernard on Tuesday now in NOPD custody after his arrest by St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office; Victim identified as Jeffrey Bonck Sr., 55

New Orleans police said they have a “person of interest” in custody in connection with the beating death of Jeffrey W. Bonck Sr., whose body was unearthed in St. Bernard Parish on Tuesday.

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested the “person of interest’’ a week ago on an unrelated charge of domestic violence and he was held in St. Bernard Parish Prison until Friday, when he was turned over to New Orleans police investigating the Bonck killing, Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

The name of the man they now have in custody hasn’t been released.

Bonck, 55, was murdered in Orleans Parish last August but his body was buried several feet below ground, off Florissant Highway, in eastern St. Bernard. Bonck was reported missing from eastern New Orleans in August.

Bonck’s body was uncovered in eastern St. Bernard Parish on Tuesday, Feb 26, after an associate of Bonck’s came forward and told the NOPD where he had been buried.

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office assisted in the case from the point where they were informed of the New Orleans investigation, including arresting the suspect on the unrelated charge and obtaining the search warrant to dig on the property where the body was found, Sheriff Pohlmann said.

LSU’s Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services — the FACES laboratory – worked to unearth the body, with the help of an excavating machine from St. Bernard Parish government.

Bonck’s identity was confirmed after the body was sent to the Orleans Parish coroner’s office, according to authorities.

Bonck was reported missing on Aug. 14, 2012, when his brother contacted police to say the last he had heard from him was in the form of a voicemail that Bonck had left on his phone on Aug. 11 about 3 a.m.

Bonck’s brother told police he checked the brother’s house in the 7500 block of Michigan Street later that day but couldn’t find him and grew concerned because it was uncharacteristic of his brother.