Police: Suspect Killed, Then Stole Man's Identity
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - When Ronald Shumway first disappeared back in April, his neighbor Rudy Cortez didn't suspect foul play.
"I figured he was just somewhere being Ron. He disappeared like that every now and then," said Cortez.
Then the house suddenly sold, and the new homeowner doing renovations found a body beneath a concrete slab in the backyard.
"It's really shocking," said Cortez.
It's unclear how and when Shumway died.
Police discovered, though, Christopher Colbert had begun posing as him in May to sell the house.
According to a report by the Dallas Voice, Colbert previously worked as a photographer for the paper and used the name "Christian."
A detective found a previous police report and Facebook pictures indicating Colbert may have lived with Shumway or next door in the other half of the duplex.
According to police reports, Colbert reached out to a broker on Craigslist to arrange the sale.
Police say he send messages from Shumway's e-mail account and signed contracts in his name.
When a title company asked for an ID at closing, Colbert reportedly claimed he didn't bring it.
Police say he later faxed the company a copy of Shumway's driver's license with his own picture superimposed.
CBS 11 turned to the owner of different company, Fair Texas Title, to see how unusual that was.
"It's not unheard of to accept a faxed copy," said Britt Fair. "It's not standard, but it's not unheard of."
Fair says title companies ensure real estate sales are valid.
"It's our job to make sure that the buyer's the buyer and the seller's the seller and do all the other due diligence that we have. But yes, in the grand scheme of things, there are some red flags, but the title company may not know all of those things," he said.
Shumway lived alone, with no known surviving family, but Cortez says he had friends who want his killer caught and punished.
"We miss him. He was always here," he said.
Colbert has not been officially charged in Shumway's murder, but police say he is a suspect in it.
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