FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The U.S. Marshals arrested three suspects on Tuesday for their connection to a homicide that took place in September 2021 in Stevens County.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service press release, the suspects include Brenda Rasmussen, 55, who is the victim’s wife, and her two sons, Danny R. Jones, 34, and Andrew D. Jones, 31.
The three suspects are accused of the murder of Jerry Rasmussen, who was initially reported missing by Brenda.
According to a Stevens County Sheriff's Office press release, Brenda called the sheriff's office on Sep. 27, 2021, to report her husband was missing. Brenda told police Jerry had left the house several weeks ago, and she didn't hear from him. She told officers they have been arguing recently, and it was common for Jerry to leave for extended periods of time in the past.
"She told the ladies living around here that Jerry went to California on a business trip and that she hoped that he would be alright," the couple's neighbor Gary told KREM 2.
Deputies said they started noticing Brenda and other family members, who reside outside the area, looked suspicious of the disappearance of Jerry after deputies spoke with them.
Deputies requested the Detective Unit to look into the case, and they began an investigation into Jerry's disappearance.
Court documents show that Brenda and her sons initially cooperated with investigators and were quick to answer calls and texts from detectives. They stopped communicating with authorities Oct. 1 and disappeared.
The Stevens County Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation and got a warrant to enter and search the Valley house. During a second search, cadaver dogs were brought in and alerted to an outdoor shed which was delivered and installed around the same time Jerry went missing.
Detectives had the shed moved and rented a backhoe on Dec. 1 to dig beneath it. They first came across a layer of aluminum foil, then found plastic wrap a few feet down. Detectives described an "overwhelming" smell of human decomposition. Officials recovered a body which was positively identified as Jerry Rasmussen. The Spokane County Medical Examiner determined he died from a gunshot wound to the head. Rasmussen had been buried on the property for nearly 3-months.
"That's still kind of spooky for me," the couple's neighbor John said. "I think about it all the time and how short life is because Jerry worked so hard and I'm sure he was looking for an easier life later."
The Stevens County Sheriff’s Office issued warrants for all suspects with rendering criminal assistance under first-degree murder. On Jan. 28, 2022, the U.S. Marshal Service developed leads regarding the location of the three suspects.
After the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office detectives traveled to Arizona on Feb. 2, 2022, and worked with the U.S. Marshals Service and Mohave County, they were able to arrest the three suspects on Tuesday, in Fort Mohave, Arizona.
All three suspects were booked into Mohave County Detention Center, in Arizona, awaiting extradition to Washington to face charges related to their involvement in this murder.