Police in Oregon say they have apprehended a suspect they believe murdered a man who went missing almost exactly three years ago.
Murphy Calvin Henry II, 54, was arrested on Jan. 9 for allegedly murdering Ryan Staggs, 30. Staggs was last seen at his home in Newport, Oregon on January 31, 2022, and was reported missing the following month.
Despite numerous tips in the case, nothing led to Staggs, and the Lincoln County District Attorney Cold Case Unit “continued to follow-up leads and develop new information regarding Staggs’ disappearance since May 2022,” the Newport Police Department said in a statement.
While a search warrant was being executed in the case on Dec. 27, cadaver dogs were “alerted to the scent of human remains in the ground soil removed from the backyard,” but no human remains were found. However, investigators were able to gain additional information and identify additional witnesses.
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A shallow grave was located in “remote Lincoln County” on Jan. 8, and remains believed to be Staggs’ were located. Official identification is pending from the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office, police say.
Staggs is still listed on two missing persons websites, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and Missing People in America.
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His missing poster shared says that he was the owner of Happy Motors in Newport. Prior to his disappearance, he was shot in the face while sleeping in his home in August 2021 “by an unknown assailant.”
The poster also says Staggs’ vehicle was missing when he disappeared, but was “later recovered and sold at auction.”
Henry has been charged with murder in the second degree, abuse of a corpse in the second degree and tampering with evidence, police say.
While police did not give details about a potential motive or cause of death, they did say the incident remains under investigation and asked anyone with information about the disappearance or murder of Staggs to contact their tip line at 541-270-1856 or by email at tipline@newportpolice.net.
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