Suspect arrested after missing Oregon man’s remains found in backyard

NEWPORT, Ore. (TCN) — Authorities recently arrested a suspect on suspicion of killing a man who disappeared in 2022 and was found dead in a shallow grave.

According to the Newport Police Department, Ryan Staggs was last seen at his home and went missing in January 2022. Missing People in America said in a bulletin that Staggs had previously been shot in the face on Aug. 8, 2021, by an unknown person while sleeping in his house, but he survived the incident. Officials said it is unknown if the shooting was related to his disappearance.

On Dec. 27, 2024, police executed a search warrant at another residence, where cadaver dogs detected the scent of human remains, but investigators didn’t find any at the time.

Authorities later searched an area in remote Lincoln County and found Staggs’ suspected remains in a shallow grave on Jan. 8. The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office will positively identify the victim.

Upon further investigation, police arrested 54-year-old Murphy Henry on Jan. 9 on charges of second-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. Henry remains held in the Lincoln County Jail.

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