MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. — An El Mirage man has been recently linked to the murders of two people in Kingman last summer, according to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office.
Daniel M. Avila, 25, is suspected of being involved in the deaths of 50-year-old Darren Vanhouten and 73-year-old Retta Atkins, who were found deceased in a Kingman residence on June 28, 2022.
Avila was arrested in February for allegedly burglarizing a Tempe home. During that arrest, Avila was allegedly in possession of a firearm that was connected to the deaths of Vanhouten and Atkins based on a ballistics analysis.
MCSO said Avila additionally had a scar on his left shoulder that's consistent with a wound the suspect appears to have sustained during the double homicide
Avila has no known connections to Kingman or to the victims, MCSO said.
Investigators previously connected a 26-year-old man who died by suicide last October to the double homicide. MCSO said Monday that the agency had recovered evidence from the 26-year-old's property that was tied to the deaths of Atkins and Vanhouten.
MCSO said detectives have recently issued an arrest warrant for Avila, whose criminal charges in Tempe are still pending in court.
Anyone with information on the suspect can contact MCSO at 928-753-0753 ext. 4288.
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