MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz., Nov. 1, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday afternoon that a set of human remains found in the desert near the Virgin River Gorge has been identified as missing Utah woman Susan McFalls.
The set of remains found in the in the Arizona Strip area was one of two found on Oct. 18; the second body has not yet been identified, said a news release on Facebook from the sheriff’s office.
“Dispatch received a call of human remains found and Mohave County Sheriff’s Office detectives responded to the area,” the news release said. “One set of the human remains has been identified as belonging to Susan Marie McFalls, 63 of Littlefield, Arizona. Medical examiners were able to make a positive identification by comparing medical records and a medical device located along with the remains.”
The second set of remains has been forwarded to the FBI Crime Lab for scientific examination. The investigation is ongoing, the news release said.
Jerry McFalls Sr. and his wife Susan McFalls, both 62, were last heard from Jan. 11, according to a previous news release on Facebook from the sheriff’s office.
Family members stated the McFalls were due to travel back to Utah to take care of some business after being in Arizona for Christmas. They have homes both in Littlefield and in West Jordan. Littlefield is close to the border of Arizona, and 10 miles away from Mesquite, Nev.
The sheriff’s office is actively investigating the pair’s disappearance, listing both individuals on a BOLO (Be on the Lookout For) poster as having disappeared under “suspicious circumstances.” The couple was also entered into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center’s missing and endangered database.
Mohave County Sheriff’s detectives conducted a search of the McFalls’ Littlefield residence in January, looking for any information that would lead them to the whereabouts of the couple, the news release said. Sheriff’s detectives used search dogs from Washington County Search and Rescue, as well as numerous volunteers to search the area around the residence.
“Both phones belonging to the victims, as well as guns, money, medications, identifications and family pets, were found inside the residence,” the news release said. “The couple’s vehicles and keys were found at the residence and there were no obvious signs of foul play.”
Due to the heavy rains in the area, no obvious evidence was located on the exterior of the property, the news release added. A canvas of the area was conducted by the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office and no further information was developed.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division at 800-522-4312.
