2 arrested in Mississippi in connection with Colorado homicide investigation
Deputies arrested two suspects wanted for numerous charges in Mississippi, as well as their alleged connection to a homicide investigation in Colorado. Johnny Morris and Hailey Cole were taken into custody Monday in Pearl River County in southern Mississippi, about 75 miles north of New Orleans.
They are considered persons of interest in the Colorado investigation.
That investigation began on Dec. 19 when deputies responded to a home in the 1800 block of Pima Drive in unincorporated El Paso County. That's where deputies said they found large quantities of blood in several locations.
On Dec. 23, authorities asked for help from the public to locate a black Audi A4 linked to the case. The next day, Park County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a welfare check near Hartsel, Colorado, where they found the Audi at a trailhead. Investigators tied the vehicle to the missing person case in El Paso County. Authorities said 37-year-old Stephen Walker is missing under "suspicious circumstances." He is described as 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, with tan skin, black hair, brown eyes, and tattoos on his right arm.
At a nearby residence, deputies discovered a deceased adult male, later identified as Tim Huston, 65. Due to the severity of the case, the Park County Sheriff's Office requested assistance from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.
On Dec. 28, authorities in Mississippi located a blue 1994 Ford F-150 with Colorado license plate TQQ039 with a "HUNTER" sticker on the left fender believed to be connected to the homicide in Park County. That vehicle had been the focus of a multi-state search, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.
In Mississippi early Monday morning, a woman called authorities to report that a man matching Morris' description was attempting to break into her vehicle. Deputies searched the area and Morris and Cole were found camping in a shed nearby. They are facing a number of charges related to outstanding warrants in Mississippi, including receiving stolen property and contempt of court, as well as new charges related to commercial burglary and attempted burglary.
Cole has a criminal record in Colorado going back to at least 2018, including a still-open case for third-degree assault in Park County from 2021 and a conviction for misdemeanor harassment and telephone obstruction from 2018 in Chaffee County, for which she had probation revoked four times. She was sentenced to 53 days in jail and given credit for 51 days served, along with a year of probation. There have also been several cases involving violations of protection orders over the past several years, but those cases have been dismissed and one of those orders was vacated.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office is still seeking the public's help and is asking anyone with information to contact them at 719-390-5555.
