Two Arizona residents were arrested Saturday in connection with the death of a man whose body was discovered in the desert near Bullhead City. Police identified the suspects as Jacob Dylan Middlebrook, 35, and Layne Justine McIntosh, 36, and said the couple had expressed dislike for sex offenders.
The victim, 29-year-old Arron Christopher Warren, was found stabbed to death along Silver Creek Road, roughly a mile east of Bullhead Parkway, according to the Bullhead City Police Department. Warren was experiencing homelessness and was registered as a Level 2 sex offender.
Middlebrook and McIntosh were also experiencing homelessness and had known Warren for several months, police said. Investigators said the couple selected the desert site in advance with the intention of leaving his body there. Police also said they measured furniture beside the road to determine whether it was large enough to cover his body.
Several hours after Warren’s body was found Saturday, officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department located his stolen vehicle at a casino in Laughlin, Nevada, across the state line. Middlebrook and McIntosh were arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas. They are awaiting extradition to Mohave County and will likely face first-degree murder charges upon their return to Arizona.
In a written statement, Bullhead City Police Chief Paul George explained the department’s process for notifying the public about registered sex offenders. He said information about Level 2 and Level 3 offenders is shared as a public service when they move into the area or register a new address.
The required notices are sent by mail to residents living within approximately 1,000 feet of an offender’s registered address. Police also post the notifications on social media to make the information available to a wider audience.
George said the purpose of those disclosures is to inform residents and support community safety without generating fear. He also warned that the department would not tolerate people using the information to threaten, intimidate, harass or injure someone.
State law requires notifications for Level 2 and Level 3 offenders, whose classifications indicate a greater likelihood of reoffending than Level 1 offenders. Police have discretion over releasing addresses for Level 1 offenders, the lowest risk category. George said the department’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations also checks registered offenders’ addresses monthly to verify compliance with registration requirements.
