The following is a press release issued by Town of Quartzsite this morning.
"In the morning hours of January 20, 2015,
Quartzsite Police Department (QPD) received a call from a concerned citizen in
the Scaddan Wash area located east to south-east from the Town of Quartzsite.
The concerned citizen physically took QPD officers to the skeleton remains
found while going on a morning walk in the desert. QPD officers arrived on
scene and identified a human skeleton remains located approximately one mile
south of Interstate 10 and east to south-east of the Town of Quartzsite. QPD
officer immediately established a perimeter of the area and determined it was
on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land but within the jurisdiction of QPD.
Chief Ernie Renfro placed a call for assistance from the Federal Bureau of
Investigations (FBI) to assist QPD with the processing of the scene. The FBI
Agents and QPD officers process the scene into the evening hours of Tuesday,
January 20, 2015. The human skeleton remains were removed from the scene by the
Parker Funeral Home and eventually sent to the Pima County Medical Examiner’s
Office in Tucson, Arizona for a scientific medical examination and for
identification purposes. This will include dental, hair and DNA comparisons.
The Quartzsite Police Department is dedicated and will work very hard to
determine the identification and method of death. Once a positive
identification has been accomplished, we will make notification to the family
and then release further information to the Town of Quartzsite and media.
Ernie Renfro Chief of Police Town of Quartzsite Office:
(928) 927-4644"
Many suspect the remains are of local resident Eric Stapleton, who went missing on May 18th, 2014, where he was last seen at his residence off Riggles Rd. Eric failed to report to work on May 20th and has not been seen or heard from since. His cell phone and car was at the house with the front door open.
Friends and local residents pulled together search parties during the summer, scouring the surrounding desert on ATVs, scooters, cars, trucks, and on foot. Eric's family posted a reward, but there has been no news on his whereabouts.
