BULLHEAD CITY – A man living under an alias at his sister’s home in Bullhead City for an unknown number of years has been arrested in a cold case homicide investigation led by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office in California. James Lawhead, 64, was taken into custody at a residence in the 500 block of Havasu Lane on Friday, April 24.
Years of investigation and a DNA testing break helped authorities trace Lawhead to Bullhead City 34 years after he allegedly kidnapped and killed Cindy Wanner.
Wanner was 35 years old when she vanished from a Granite Bay home on November 25, 1991. Her 11-month-old baby was left crying in a highchair, while her shoes, coat, and car were all left behind.
Wanner’s body was located three weeks later, about 40 miles from where she had been abducted. Autopsy determined she had been strangled.
The Sheriff’s Office said Lawhead was 30 years old at the time of the crime. He had been released from prison in early 1991 after serving 11 years of a 19-year sentence for raping an 11-year-old girl after beating her grandmother.
Bullhead City police assisted in Lawhead’s arrest. Police department spokeswoman Emily Fromelt said authorities had no contact with Lawhead during his local residency where he was living under the name of Vincent Reynolds.
Lawhead’s 71-year-old sister, Terry Lawhead Steele, was arrested in South Carolina on an accessory charge on April 25. Following her arrest, Placer County Sheriff’s Office detectives served a search warrant at her San Clemente home on Sunday, April 26.
“Although Steele had spoken with law enforcement several times over the years, including with our detectives just weeks ago, and claimed she had not heard from her brother in more than 20 years, investigators discovered James Lawhead had been living in a home she owned,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “Evidence also showed the two had remained in communication.”
“This is one of the most notorious and heinous cold cases we have here in Placer County. We’ve never given up pursuing justice for Cindy and her family, we hope this is a small step in the healing process,” said Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo. “This breakthrough and arrest reflect the commitment of our office to solve cases; it’s why we pin the badge and take the oath to serve. Our work is not done, James Lawhead will be brought back to Placer County where he will answer to the charges for this crime.”
Lawhead waived extradition during an April 27 hearing. He had not yet been picked up for transport as of April 29 and he was held without bond at the Adult Detention Facility in Kingman.
Dave Hawkins
