Aug. 7 (UPI) — Police in the Kansas city of Lawrence have arrested a man accused of fatally shooting four people hundreds of miles away in western Ohio late last week.
The police department in Lawrence, located just east of Kansas city, said Sunday that officers arrested Stephen Marlow, 39, at about 9 p.m. a day prior.
His arrest brings to an end the manhunt authorities launched to find Marlow, whom they had called a person of interest in the shooting of four people on Friday in Ohio’s Butler Township, located about 900 miles away from Lawrence.
Police said officers responding to reports of shots fired at around 11:45 a.m. Friday found four bodies at multiple crime scenes in Butler Township. The authorities said Marlow was believed to have fled the state in a white 2007 Ford Edge along Interstate 70.
The FBI issued a wanted poster for Marlow, stating he has ties to several locations with his last known residence being Dayton, Ohio.
The Lawerence Police Department said on duty personnel had reason to believe Marlow was in the city and a city-wide search was initiated.
Amid the search, an officer spotted the white Ford Edge, and authorities converged on the vehicle as it turned into a parking lot where officers took Marlow into custody.
“Clear multiagency communication on a national and regional level, followed by proactive teamwork in our patrol department, and ultimately an alert officer, resulted in an arrest without incident,” Lawerence police spokesperson Laura McCabe said in a statement. “We are extremely proud of our officers’ work and thankful for the peaceful outcome.”
The victims were identified over the weekend as Clyde Knox, 82, and Eva Knox, 78, who were discovered in one home, and Sarah Anderson, 41, and a 15-year-old girl who were found in a second residence.
Butler Township police chief John Porter confirmed during a brief press conference that Marlow was under police custody in Lawerence and that they will be making arrangements for extradition.
The relationship between Marlow and his victims was unclear, and Porter had said Saturday that “we are working to determine if there was any motive to this horrible tragedy or if mental illness played any role.”
