Two teenagers and a man have been arrested in connection with the death of a good samaritan who set out to help a stranger with car trouble, but was found dead near his own burned out vehicle on Christmas Eve.
Pima County Sheriff’s Office released the identities of the suspects Tuesday, naming them as Jack Upchurch, 40, Elmer Smith, 19 and 16-year-old Wendy Scott.
The trio, who appeared in court the same day, face charges of first-degree murder, robbery, vehicle theft, and arson. Upchurch and Smith are being held on bonds of $1 million, while Scott’s bond was set at $500,000, according to KOLD.
Paul Clifford, 53, was reported missing by his family after he was visited at his home by a man who claimed to need help starting his vehicle, according to investigators.
Paul Clifford was found dead on Christmas Eve near a burned out vehicle after setting out to help a stranger with car trouble (Sabrina Vining/ GoFundMe)
Clifford left in his daughter’s truck to help jump-start the vehicle at around 11.30 p.m. on December 23 but did not return. Authorities tracked down the truck and Clifford’s body was found near his smoldering vehicle on a remote stretch of road northeast of Tucson a day later.
On Monday night Clifford’s daughter, Sabrina Vining, thanked law enforcement in a post on social media.
“The detective called us last night and told us they had suspects arrested and in custody! Thank you to the law enforcement officers that diligently worked my dad’s case,” she wrote.
Pima County Sheriff’s Department later confirmed that a standoff on Monday night led to the arrests, after investigators learned that the three suspects were in the area of Benson Highway near Country Club, KOLD reported.
Detectives obtained a search warrant and the Pima Regional SWAT Team served it at the location. The suspects then barricaded themselves inside the residence and eventually called 911 to negotiate a surrender, officials reported.
The trio was then taken into custody without incident, according to the force.
In an earlier post Vining said that his family was “deeply saddened” by the loss of their father, describing him as “a gentle giant and had a huge, caring heart.”
“I am at a loss for my mom and doing everything in my power to support her at this time,” Vining said in a GoFundMe page. She added that any help was appreciated “in the wake of this devastation.”
