Authorities have arrested three men for murdering a 33-year-old woman Shanan Lynn Read, whose headless body was pulled from Puget Sound in Washington state more than 15 years ago.
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office worked with law enforcement in three states to apprehend the three suspects responsible for killing Shanan Lynn Read.
A fourth suspect has been identified but is deceased.
According to a statement, Brian Anderson Bourquard, 39, was arrested on Monday in Philadelphia for first-degree murder while Brandon Michael Reeve, 42, was detained Tuesday in Sarasota, Florida, for second-degree murder. Also on Tuesday, Oscar Cash Gonzales, 43, was arrested in Riverside, California and charged with first-degree murder.
All three are being held on $10 million bail in the states where they were apprehended.
The deceased suspect’s name was Anthony Marou Martinez.
A citizen reported finding the remains of Shanan Lynn Read on Jan. 15, 2006, floating in a plastic container between Manchester and Blake Island. Her head surfaced in the same area of Puget Sound more than two months later.
Early on, detectives identified the four suspects, but failed to connect the men to the murder until 10 months ago.
Investigators determined Shanan Lynn Read was killed in August of 2005 after being struck in the head with a metal baton while at a Seattle apartment.
“Afterwards, she was placed in the plastic container and taken to a cabin in Port Orchard owned by one of the suspect’s family, where she ultimately died,” reads the statement.
Read’s body remained there for many weeks “while two of the suspects returned frequently and poured chemicals onto her body to speed up the decomposition process,” the statement adds.
According to police, a separate individual was recruited to help dispose of the body.
The statement claims that person Michael Thomason, “was later convicted of unlawful disposal of human remains.” It does not elaborate on when Thomason was arrested or convicted.
None of the three men has entered pleas yet. Lawyer information for them was not available Friday.