LOGAN, Utah, Sept. 16, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Police have made an arrest in connection with the death of a woman who had been missing since Aug. 18.
According to a news release from the Logan City Police Department, on Aug. 21, the Cache County Sheriff’s Office received a report that Merrilee Cox-Lafferty was missing and hadn’t been seen since Aug. 18.
When the sheriff’s office learned that Cox-Lafferty was last seen in the Logan area, the investigation was turned over to the LCPD.
“The case soon became suspicious as detectives worked through leads of her disappearance,” the news release states. “After several weeks of investigation, social media posts, interviews, area canvassing and other efforts, Logan City Police detectives ruled this case a homicide.”
Logan police located Cox-Lafferty’s body in Cache County and they arrested Stacey Robert Willis, 41, of Hyrum, as a suspect in her homicide.
The release says a number of search warrants have been served in Cache County and Idaho in connection with this case.
LCPD Chief Gary Jensen praised the efforts of the Logan officers and Cache County Sheriff’s Office and extended condolences to Cox-Lafferty’s family.
As the Logan City Chief of Police, I couldn’t be prouder of the hard work and tenacity of Logan City and Cache County officers. This is a tragic end to a difficult case. Our hearts go out to the family as they learn of the loss of Merrilee.
