Carson City Sheriff: Four face murder charges in presumed death of Nevada insurance examiner

Four suspects in custody, three men and one woman, now face murder charges in connection with the disappearance of a Nevada insurance examiner, presumed dead after a body was discovered bound and duct taped in the Carson River on Saturday, authorities said.

Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong said as of Sunday all of the suspects related to the disappearance of Nevada insurance examiner William McCune, 62, have been booked on murder charges. An autopsy for McCune has been finished but details have not been released, the sheriff added.

The suspects are Michael Paul Evans, 23, who was found in Carson City early Saturday morning. Three others were arrested in Las Vegas. They are Anthony Elliott, 20; Makyla L. Blackmore, 20 and Raul Garcia, 22. Residential robbery is believed to be the motive, Furlong said.

The three suspects in custody in Clark County are anticipated to be returned to Carson City during the upcoming week. Investigators have described all of the suspects as cooperative, said Furlong. details of the interviews are not being released at this time, he added.

The following is information from a news release issued Sunday by Sheriff Furlong.

As of this date, all of the suspects related to the Missing Persons status of Mr. William McCune, 62 years old, have been booked into either the Carson City Jail or the Clark County Jail on the charges of Murder (in addition to other charges already reported). The three suspects in custody in Clark County are anticipated to be returned to Carson City during the upcoming week. Investigators have described all of the suspects as cooperative. Details of the interviews are NOT being released at this time.

Mr. McCune’s missing vehicle remains unaccounted for. The license plates to the vehicle were recovered by investigators on April 6, 2013. Recovery of the vehicle license plates was associated with the arrest of suspect Evans, arrested in Carson City.

An autopsy was initiated by the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office on April 6, 2013. Details of the autopsy are pending and a positive identification of the body recovered from the Carson River has NOT yet been established. The Sheriff’s Office is hopeful this identification will be forthcoming in the upcoming week. Although not previously known, the Carson City Coroner’s Office believes that Mr. McCune does have next of kin (immediate family) to contact.

Although crime scene processing is expected to continue for the next several days, all Search and Rescue operations have been called off.

This matter remains an open investigation and critical details will remain controlled. As of this date, new evidence and interviews are continuing to be collected. There appears to be NO information associating this event with Mr. McCune’s employment.

Information pertaining the witnesses and businesses that have been critically instrumental to the capture of the four suspects is being withheld at this time.

At this time, interviews and evidence is beginning to suggest that the possible motive of this event was theft driven by illegal drug use.

Investigators are continuing to collect information on the association of the suspects to Mr. McCune. It is known that at least one of the suspects has had direct contact with McCune in the past. There has been no suggestion to this date that entry into the McCune residence was forced.

While details continue to be collected, it is anticipated that an updated press release will not be generated before midweek. Anyone with information regarding this event is encouraged to contact the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, Investigations Division, at 887-2500.

A special acknowledgement is offered to the specialized unit of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Criminal Apprehension Team (CAT), who worked directly with Carson City Sheriff’s teams to effect the rapid arrests of the homicide suspects in downtown Las Vegas. The most direct purpose of such a team is to minimize the risk and threat to the public, and their efforts paid off quickly.