In a shocking turn of events, a California man is accused of murdering his roommate, concealing his body in a shallow grave in their backyard, and then fleeing in the victim’s truck. The suspect was apprehended over 1,100 miles away, authorities claim, while he was pretending to be the deceased roommate.
Last week, authorities in Oregon stumbled upon the unexpected while patrolling the Mt. Hood National Forest. They found a camper who introduced himself as 61-year-old Daniel Joslin, the rightful owner of a parked black Ford F-150 nearby.
Although the vehicle’s paperwork and license plate appeared in order, there was a significant issue: Joslin had been reported as missing.
Further investigation revealed that the individual in the forest was not Joslin but was allegedly his 60-year-old roommate and killer, Cris Jones.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office informed Oregon counterparts that they were on the lookout for Jones following the unexplained disappearance of Joslin, who had not been seen or heard from in 10 days.
Then came the grisly discovery.
One day before Oregon cops encountered Jones — and more than a month after Joslin was reported missing — California investigators executing a search warrant at the roommates’ home in Yucca Valley found Joslin’s body buried in “a shallow grave,” authorities said.
Jones had apparently fled the California home and made his way north, ending up more than 1,100 miles away in Oregon’s Mt. Hood National Forest.
Oregon authorities finally swooped in Aug. 2, deploying a SWAT team and air unit to arrest Jones near Harriet Lake, where cops had first encountered him.
Aerial footage captured the dramatic arrest, with officers surrounding Jones at gunpoint.
Cops also allegedly found a knife and sheath tucked into Jones’ front pants pocket. He also had outstanding warrants in Clackamas and Washington counties, officials said.
Jones was being held Friday in the Clackamas County Jail on the murder case and is awaiting extradition to California.
According to Jones’ Facebook profile, he attended Portland State University.
The investigation remains ongoing.