Court docs: Missing Conn. man texted son, "UR setting me up"
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. --A missing Connecticut man texted his son the day he vanished that he was worried about being set up for murder, according to a criminal complaint obtained by 48 Hours' Crimesider charging the son with a federal gun offense.
Fifty-six-year-old Jeffrey Navin and his wife, 55-year-old Jeanette Navin of Easton haven't been seen since Aug. 4, and the mystery of their disappearance has garnered national headlines. Their car was found in a commuter lot off the Merritt Parkway in Westport Aug. 9 by state troopers, according to Connecticut State Police, reportedly with a smashed window.
Police said they learned that the couple owed more than $2 million, much of it tied to a home in Guilford. But relatives have denied that the debt was related to their disappearance. Searches of landfills in the area have turned up no trace of human remains.
Their son Kyle Navin, 27, appeared in federal court in Bridgeport Monday afternoon on a charge of possession of a firearm by an individual who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance. Kyle Navin was questioned by investigators following his parents' disappearance, and state police spent hours searching his Bridgeport home, reported CBS affiliate WFSB. Police have called him a "person of interest" in the case, according to the station.
He has not been charged in connection to the disappearance.
A federal affidavit in support of the gun charge reveals new details about the last known activities of Jeanette and Jeffrey Navin and Kyle Navin's statements to investigators, some of which allegedly don't match evidence collected by investigators. It also details items uncovered during the search of Kyle Navin's home -- allegedly including two firearms, numerous rounds of ammunition, prescription bottles for Xanax and Oxycodone, hypodermic needles and glassine bags with apparent heroin residue -- and outlines cell phone records.
According to the complaint, released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut, Kyle and Jeffrey Navin exchanged text messages between 11:40 a.m. and 1:14 p.m. on the day Jeffrey and his wife disappeared. Jeffrey Navin allegedly texted his son, "I'm not going home till I know mom is okay" and "Did you hurt mom?" to which the younger Navin replied, "No absolutely not. Why would you think"
Jeffrey Navin allegedly texted back, "I go home and get framed for murder" and "I'm going to the police first." Later, according to the complaint, the elder Navin texted his son, "UR setting me up."
The exchange stands in contrast to the younger Navin's statement to investigators that he only discussed work with his father the day he disappeared, the complaint alleges. Kyle Navin worked for the family business, J & J Refuse, a Westport-based trash removal and recycling collection service. The company's website listed Jeffrey Navin as the president and Kyle Navin as its operations manager.
The couple was reported missing Aug. 7 by Jeffrey Navin's brother William, who co-owns the refuse company, according to the complaint. William Navin told Easton Police Jeffrey Navin hadn't shown up for work, which was unusual, he said, because he never missed work without making arrangements to have his refuse pickup route covered.
According to the complaint, Kyle Navin was interviewed by law enforcement three times -- on Aug. 9 and Aug. 11 at the Easton Police Department and Aug. 13 at the Connecticut State Police barracks in Bridgeport. He allegedly told investigators on Aug. 9 that he last spoke with his father "sometime around noon" Aug. 4 when his father called to ask about a new customer. He said his parents often went away on short trips, but acknowledged it was unusual for his father to miss work.
On Aug. 11, Kyle Navin allegedly told investigators that he met his mother on the morning of Aug. 4, at the park and ride near Exit 42 on the Merritt Parkway, and that his mother got into his garbage truck and they collected refuse along his usual route. He said his back started hurting between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., so he called his father and arranged to meet him at a nursery, where his mother got into his father's truck around 10:30 a.m, according to the complaint. Kyle Navin said he drove back to his home in Bridgeport and remained there until around 12:30, when he drove to his parents' home in Easton to pick up a paycheck his father had left taped to the door before returning to Bridgeport.
He allegedly said he spent the next three days at his home because of his back injury.
Interviewed again at the state police barracks on Aug. 13, Kyle Navin repeated the story, but this time also told investigators that he returned to his home around 9:20 a.m. Aug. 4 with his mother. He allegedly said he needed to pick up paperwork delineating his refuse route for his mother, because he had asked her to complete his route for the day.
Kyle Navin "denied discussing any issue related to his mother or her safety" on the phone with his father that day, according to the complaint.
Jeanette Navin's cellphone last registered at a cell tower near her son's home at 9:20 a.m. Aug. 4, according to the complaint -- her husband's last call was placed the same day around 1:23 p.m. and accessed the same cell tower. At both times, Kyle Navin's phone also pinged off the same cell tower, the complaint says.
Investigators also outline an interview with Kyle Navin's girlfriend, who allegedly told them Kyle asked her to follow him in her car to his parents' house in Easton as Kyle drove his father's truck. The woman said Kyle parked his father's car at the Easton house and the two returned to Bridgeport together in her car. The movement of the two vehicles was captured on security cameras, according to the complaint.
In searching Kyle Navin's home based on the cell records and surveillance footage, the complaint says investigators uncovered a Home Depot receipt issued Aug. 5 indicating Kyle Navin purchased "germicidal bleach, hair/grease drain opener, 'Goo Gone' stain remover and contractor cleanup bags."
In a search of his cellphone, investigators uncovered texts between Kyle Navin and his girlfriend about doing drugs, the complaint alleges. When investigators asked the woman about guns uncovered in the home, she allegedly told investigators Kyle "really likes his gun" and carries it often.
Investigators interviewed an unidentified person who appeared to be contacting Kyle Navin in order to buy Oxycodone, according to the complaint -- Kyle allegedly told the person Aug. 5 "he was dealing with a lot of family issues and that it looked like his parents were missing," though he told police he first learned of the disappearance from his uncle Aug. 6.
Reached by phone Tuesday, Kyle Navin's lawyer Eugene Riccio had no comment on the allegations outlined in the complaint. He said his client is in federal custody and a detention hearing will be set for later in the week.
The federal gun charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. Kyle Navin hasn't yet entered a plea, Riccio said.
