Oregon man arrested for cold case murder after remains found in shallow grave
An Oregon man was arrested and charged Thursday for the murder of a car dealership owner who disappeared three years ago, police said Monday.
Murphy Henry, 54, was also charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence after police said they uncovered what is believed to be David Staggs' human remains at a shallow grave site in a remote county on Wednesday, the Newport Police Department said in a news release. The Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office is still examining the remains.
Staggs was last seen on Jan. 29, 2022, at his home in Newport, Oregon, and was reported as a missing person in February 2022.
Henry's arrest comes about two weeks after a different man, Jack Baird, was arrested for abuse of a corpse that was related to Stagg's disappearance. Baird was seen at Staggs' home the day after he went missing, according to CBS affiliate KOIN-TV.
KOIN-TV, citing court documents, reported that witnesses claim that Baird was digging in his backyard in the days after Stagss went missing. A probable cause affidavit links Baird's arrest to Staggs' disappearance, adding that neighbors heard him screaming at his home the day he disappeared, the station reported.
The Lincoln County District Attorney's Cold Case Unit has been actively pursuing leads since May 2022 and the investigation remains ongoing.