The Mohave County Sheriff’s office has clarified some information regarding a new homicide case. Spokeswoman Anita Mortensen said officers began a surveillance detail after being informed last Friday that a murder occurred at a residence in the 4500 block of Glen Road in north Kingman.
The investigation led to execution of a search warrant Wednesday where the body of a victim was located inside a 55 gallon drum that was recovered where buried in the backyard. The residents of that property, Carrie Vanover, 23, and her 31-year-old boyfriend Mark Baldonado, were arrested and booked into jail for first degree murder.
Mortensen said suspect confessions help investigators believe that the murder victim is Vanover’s mother, 62-year-old Shawn Vanover. Positive identification and cause of death determinations are pending at the County Medical Examiner’s office.
Mortensen confirmed that the Vanover’s had been engaged in a child custody dispute. “You guys know how it is to have your child ripped from you for actually no reason,” reads a post on Carrie Vanover’s Facebook page.
A point of interest in the ongoing investigation is a message the victim purportedly posted on her Facebok page on May 10. Authorities believe the murder happened in mid-April.
Vanover and Baldonado made initial court appearances Thursday morning with use of a video link to the jail. Both suspects are held on $1-million dollar bond while awaiting their next hearings on July 26.
