NCSO: 95-year-old man found buried in Pahrump
A Pahrump woman has been arrested on larceny and obstruction charges after the decomposed body of her 95-year-old father was found buried in the backyard of a local residence, according to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office.
Warrant sought, issued
On Friday, Aug. 25, authorities searched 3891 Peggy Ave. in Pahrump after receiving an anonymous tip that Bruce Brown was buried there.
Suspect located out of state
Sheriff Joe McGill told the Pahrump Valley Times that Nye County investigators recently traveled to Kansas City, Missouri to interview Brown’s daughter Gennice Walker about her father’s disappearance and was arrested there after refusing to cooperate.
Brown had not been seen for months since the investigation into his disappearance began in April. Walker had never reported her father missing during that time, McGill said. Investigators found probable cause that Walker had been living off her dead father’s Social Security and veterans benefits.
“We don’t know if this is a murder or not, because we’re still trying to determine that,” McGill told the Pahrump Valley Times. “We are hoping that the autopsy will maybe answer some questions as to the cause and manner of death.”
McGill said the sheriff’s office did not have the proper equipment necessary for the backyard search. Instead, he used a personal piece of heavy equipment to excavate a small portion of the yard, where detectives and deputies eventually located the badly decomposed human remains from inside a crude, homemade coffin buried in the ground.
“I just drove my tractor up the street and did it,” McGill said. “The coffin was about 21/2 feet deep. The victim had been buried there for about a year.”
Walker remains in Kansas City, awaiting extradition back to Nye County. Anyone with additional information related to the investigation is asked to contact the Nye County Sheriff’s Office at (775) 751-7000.
Individuals can also remain anonymous by calling CRIMESTOPPERS at (702)385-5555.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes
This version updates a previous article.
