Junseok Chae, associate dean of research and professor of engineering, was reported missing on March 25 after he did not return home from work, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The breakup in the case came after police in Shreveport, Louisiana, in response to a suspicious call from the vehicle, caught up with Javian Ezell and Gabrielle Austin, both 18, according to the sheriff’s office. A third person who was with the suspects was not identified.
“Officers determined that the vehicle belonged to Professor Chae and obtained statements from individuals who led them to believe that Chae may have been the victim of a homicide,” the statement said.
Shreveport police contacted the sheriff’s office on March 30.
Upon further investigation, officers determined that Chae was killed at an intersection north of Phoenix and police found “various pieces of evidence” during a search in the area, according to the statement.
The professor’s body had been placed in a dumpster, which was taken to the northwest regional landfill in Surprise, Arizona, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office, assisted by a unit of the Arizona National Guard, waste management and heavy equipment provided by a local construction company, searched the landfill from May 11 to July 17, when human remains later identified as Chae were located along with related evidence, according to the statement. said.
Ezell and Austin were recently extradited to Arizona, where they were arrested on July 15 and charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery and theft of transportation, according to the statement.
The suspects are being held with a $ 1 million bonus each, according to the statement. CNN is trying to identify attorneys for the two suspects. According to prison records, Ezell and Austin are scheduled to be processed on September 3.
CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.
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