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Missing Bret R. Snow 
Snow, approximately 2015; Colby Vodder; Alvaro Guajardo; Cheryl Sutton Date reported missing : 12/02/2015 Missing location (approx) : Spokane County, Washington Missing classification : Endangered Missing Gender : Male Ethnicity : White DOB : 01/05/1983 (38) Age at the time of disappearance: 32 years old Height / Weight : 5'7 - 5'9, 155 - 170 pounds Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos : Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Snow was unshaven at the time of his disappearance. Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Snow was last seen on December 2, 2015, when a friend gave him and his dog a ride to a home in the 7800 block of north Starr Road in the Newman Lake area. His friend expected to hear back from him, but he never called her, and she tried several times to call him but wasn't able to reach him. His cellular phone was last active at the north Starr Road address in the early morning hours of December 3; it stopped pinging at the local phone towers at 5:30 a.m. Two residents of the home said he left with some other people, leaving the dog behind; a family member later picked it up. Snow has never been heard from again. His loved ones reported him missing on December 15. Snow used drugs at the time of his disappearance and frequently associated with other drug users and drug dealers. After his disappearance, his family got tips that he was killed in a drug deal gone bad. In June 2016, investigators searched the residence where he was last seen and found human hair and blood in a workshop there. DNA confirmed the blood was Snow's. In December 2016, Colby D. Vodder was charged with second-degree murder in Snow's disappearance. He has a criminal history dating back to his mid-teens for burglary, theft, and weapons- and drug-related offenses. In May 2017, Alvaro Guajardo was charged with first-degree murder in the case. In November 2017, a third suspect was Cheryl L. Sutton was charged with first-degree kidnapping, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and leading organized crime in Snow's case. She was already in jail on a federal drug conviction at the time. Photos of Sutton, Guajardo and Vodder are posted with this case summary. Until late 2015, Sutton and another man, Kenneth L. Stone, rented a building where they lived and sold methamphetamines and heroin. Snow, according to prosecutors, delivered drugs for Sutton and Vodder, and they reportedly became angry with him when he accepted a trade, instead of cash, during a delivery. Investigators stated Sutton and Stone had the SIM card for Snow's phone, and that Sutton also kept Snow's dog for a time after his presumed death. In August 2018, Stone was also charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping in Snow's case. Investigators believe he was beaten to death with a metal implement, perhaps a shovel, and dismembered. Witnesses told police his body was initially buried behind a barn in Greenacres, Washington before being dug up and moved, possibly more than once. One witness stated it had been dumped in a lake. Vodder was the first of the suspects to be tried, in October 2018. After two days of deliberation, the jury acquitted him of kidnapping, but they were unable to reach a verdict on the charge of murder. He will have to be tried a second time on the murder charge. Foul play is suspected in Snow's case due to the circumstances involved. Other information and links : ncy Spokane County Sheriff's Office 509-477-3191 September 2021 updates and sources A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece. The Idaho Spokesman-Review The Coeur d'Alene/Post Falls Press KXLY |