MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. — Over five years after the bodies of a Utah couple were found in the Arizona desert, authorities have finally identified their killer.
Back in January 2018, family members reported Jerry and Susan McFalls were missing from a home in Littlefield, Arizona. Inside the house, deputies with the Mohave County Sheriff's Office found the couple's phones, money, medications and IDs, along with their pets.
Following a months-long investigation, human remains were found in a shallow grave in Virgin River Gorge between St. George and Beaver Dam. Susan McFalls was positively identified in Oct. 2018, while her husband was positively identified in Jan. 2020 with the use of DNA analysis.
Despite the bodies being discovered, law enforcement made no arrests, although Kenneth Gene Snyder was considered a suspect.
During follow-up interviews, a witness told detectives that Snyder had shot and killed the McFalls after a verbal altercation. The witness claimed Snyder first shot Jerry, then Susan, before removing their bodies from the area.
According to the sheriff's office, the witness claimed Snyder had threatened them if they called law enforcement officials.
Through search warrants and new evidence backing up the witness claims, it was announced Thursday that detectives have determined that Snyder was responsible for the death of the McFalls.
"To hear the good news today comes by quite a surprise because it really was a cold case and it really had all the signs indicating that it could go unsolved for a very long time, if not ever be solved," said Co-Founder of the Cold Case Coalition Jason Jenson. "these are real people, real lives.. real deaths, and its very important to them that they get answers.. so whenever someone out there thinks that its just a coincidence, its worth sharing it because it might actually be a piece of the puzzle someone is waiting for."
The sheriff's office said Snyder was shot and killed during a domestic violence incident on June 1, 2023, meaning no arrests can be made.
The McFalls family has released the following in a statement:
"2,250 days we struggled through this mess of searching for answers. They finally came No more waiting, no more persecutions, no more lies no more wasting valuable resources, no more trials, and no more wondering what happened. Thank you so much to so many who continued to believe in Jerry and I with your love support and prayers. It’s definitely a bittersweet ending. We definitely could not have stayed as strong without all of your support finally, we can close this chapter and move onto the next in our lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you! "
