MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. — Investigators believe a person who died last year is responsible for murdering an Arizona couple in 2018 and hiding their bodies in the desert.
Jerry and Susan McFalls, both 62, were last seen alive in January 2018 before they were reported missing by family members.
The Mohave County Sheriff's Office announced in October 2018 two sets of human remains were found in the desert near the Virgin River Gorge in the Arizona Strip area.
The remains were later identified as belonging to the McFalls couple.
The case continued to be investigated over the next few years and a witness helped MCSO to identify 57-year-old Kenneth G. Snyder of Littlefield as a suspect in the case.
The sheriff's office said this week that Snyder had gotten into a fight with Jerry McFalls that resulted in Snyder allegedly shooting the couple and moving their bodies.
Detectives executed search warrants and reported finding evidence that allegedly substantiated the witness' claims.
"Investigators have determined that Kenneth Gene Snyder was responsible for the death of Jerry and Susan
McFalls," MCSO wrote in a statement.
Snyder died in 2023 after he was shot during a domestic violence incident on his property. MCSO said no arrests can be made in the case.
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What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.