Police in Oregon say they have arrested the suspect they believe killed a man who disappeared almost exactly three years ago.
Murphy Calvin Henry II, 54, was arrested Jan. 9 for allegedly killing Ryan Staggs, 30. Staggs was last seen at his home in Newport, Oregon 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’s Unsolved Case Unit “continued to follow leads and develop new information regarding Staggs’ disappearance as of May 2022,” the Newport Police Department said in a statement.
While a search warrant was being executed in the Dec. 27 case, cadaver dogs were “alerted to the odor of human remains in soil removed from the yard,” 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)
A shallow grave was located in “remote Lincoln County” on January 8 and remains believed to be those of Staggs were found. Official identification is pending from the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office, police said.
Staggs is still listed on two missing persons websites, the National System of Missing and Unidentified Persons and Missing Persons of America.
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A missing person flyer for Ryan Staggs, who was last seen in January 2022. (Missing people in America)
His missing poster says he was the owner of Happy Motors in Newport. Before he disappeared, he was shot in the face while sleeping in his home in August 2021 by an “unknown assailant”.
The poster also states that Staggs’ vehicle was not there when he disappeared, but “was later found 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.
While the police did not give the details of Mr potential motive or cause of death, they said the incident remains under investigation and asked anyone with information about Staggs’ disappearance or homicide to contact their tip line at 541-270-1856 or by email at tipline@newportpolice.net.
