Police in Oregon say they have arrested a suspect they believe killed a man who went missing almost exactly three years ago.
Murphy Calvin Henry II, 54, was arrested on January 9 for the alleged murder of 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 on leads and develop new information about Staggs’ disappearance since May 2022,” Newport police said in a statement.
While a search warrant was being executed at the business on December 27, cadaver dogs were “alerted to the odor of human remains in the soil removed from the backyard,” but no human remains were found. However, investigators were able to obtain additional information and identify additional witnesses.
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The Lincoln County Courthouse and Jail are located next to each other in Oregon. Murder suspect Murphy Calvin Henry II is there, police say. (Google Maps)
On January 8, a shallow grave was found in “remote Lincoln County”, and remains believed to be those of Staggs were found. 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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The missing person flyer of Ryan Staggs, who was last seen in January 2022. (Missing People in America)
His missing poster states that he was the owner of Happy Motors in Newport. Prior to his disappearance, he was shot in the face “by an unknown assailant” while sleeping in his home in August 2021.
The poster also states that Staggs’ vehicle was missing when he disappeared, but was “later recovered and sold at auction.”
Police say they are still investigating the disappearance and murder of Ryan Staggs.
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Henry has been charged with second-degree murder, second-degree abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence, police say.
Although police did not provide details about one possible motive or cause of death, they said the incident remains under investigation and asked anyone with information about Staggs’ disappearance or murder to contact their tip line at 541-270-1856 or by email at [email protected].
