Although the murder took place nearly four years ago, police finally have a suspect in custody. It has taken that long for authorities in Montana and Arizona to gather enough evidence to arrest the suspect. On April 12, 2008, 34-year-old S.C. went missing. The mother of four reportedly disappeared from her Montana home that day, leading to a massive search effort that involved at least 1,700 volunteers and law enforcement officers. Her body was discovered about a month later nearly 30 miles from her home. The autopsy revealed that she was strangled but was already dead when she was thrown into the river.
While her ex-husband, W.M.L., was always a suspect, local authorities did not have enough evidence to charge him with her murder. Despite there being a restraining order on file against him by his ex-wife, police could not link him to the crime. Authorities in Montana and Arizona have been working together ever since to gather the evidence necessary to obtain an arrest warrant. Get more information on criminal charges by talking to a member of our legal team. Do to so anonymously, check out our "Ask a Criminal Defense Lawyer" page.