Arizona couple accused in pre-planned desert stabbing death of registered sex offender
BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. - A couple was arrested after a man was found stabbed to death in a desert area of western Arizona over the weekend.
What we know:
A motorist reportedly found a man on the side of the road in a deserted area near Silver Creek Road and Bullhead Parkway around 11:45 a.m. on Nov. 7. Since the circumstances around his death seemed suspicious, detectives from the Bullhead City Police Department responded for a homicide investigation.
The victim was identified as a 29-year-old Arron Christopher Warrne, a Bullhead City "transient," according to the investigators. They also identified a possible suspect and discovered that the victim’s vehicle was missing.
Several hours later, with the help of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, officers found the vehicle parked at a Laughlin, Nevada casino.
Dig deeper:
"The suspect, identified as Jacob Dylan Middlebrook, 35 of Bullhead City, and his girlfriend, 36-year-old Layne Justine McIntosh of Bullhead City, were taken into custody by Las Vegas Metro Police and were both arrested for second degree homicide," Bullhead City Police said.
On Nov. 9, the department announced they upgraded their charges to first-degree homicide. The suspects are also "local transients" who had known the victim for the past few months, according to police.
Jacob Middlebrook and Layne McIntosh
"Detectives discovered that the couple had expressed distaste for registered sex offenders and had planned the homicide in advance. The couple reportedly pre-determined the desert location where they intended to leave Warren’s body. They also reportedly measured furniture/beds that could be large enough to cover the victim’s body along the side of the road. Warren was a registered Level 2 sex offender."
The couple were booked into the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, as they await to be extradited to Mohave County in Arizona.
What they're saying:
"When a Level 2 or Level 3 sex offender moves into our area or, more commonly, changes addresses, the Bullhead City Police Department shares that information as a public service to help keep residents informed. While required notifications are mailed to residents living within an approximate 1,000 feet radius of an offender’s registered address, we go a step further by sharing these notifications on social media to reach a broader audience. Our goal is to provide information, not create fear or alarm. We believe an informed community is a safer community," Police Chief Paul George wrote in a social media post on Nov. 9.
What we don't know:
It is unclear how detectives connected Middlebrook and McIntosh to the homicide and where they were located.
What's next:
This remains an ongoing investigation.
Map of the area where the victim was found stabbed.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the Bullhead City Police Department; images from the scene provided by Code3News; and Paul George, police chief with the Bullhead City Police Department.