The body of a southern Utah man missing for nearly two months apparently has been found in the Arizona desert, officials say.
David Corey Heisler, 30, has been missing since June 27, when he was allegedly kidnapped over a child custody dispute, according to criminal charges filed against three defendants.
A Bureau of Land Management geologist located the body on the Arizona Strip on Thursday afternoon, according to the Santa Clara/Ivins Police Department.
Deputy Washington County Attorney Zachary Weiland said Friday that the clothing on the badly decomposed body matched what Heisler was last seen wearing. Weiland said officials are now awaiting an autopsy to be performed in Lake Havasu, Ariz., to shed more light on how Heisler died.
"We sent the body for an autopsy, hoping we can get more answers," the prosecutor said.
Three people — Francis Lee McCard, 55, Kelley Marie Perry, 31, and Tammy Renee Freeman, 54 — are suspected in Heisler's disappearance and death.
They were charged in July in 5th District Court with first-degree-felony counts of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated burglary, as well as car theft, a second-degree felony.
Weiland said Friday that prosecutors are considering adding homicide charges, but officials are still considering whether those counts would be filed in Utah, Arizona or in a federal court.
Two weeks before he disappeared, Heisler had been awarded sole custody of his and Perry's 6-year-old daughter, court records show.
After the judge announced his decision to award Heisler custody, McCard told Perry, "I will fix this," court documents state, citing witnesses. McCard and Perry were "romantically involved," police have said.
On June 27, Freeman — who rents rooms in her Washington city house to McCard and Perry — drove the duo to Heisler's home, where Perry knocked on the door, charging records state.
When Heisler answered the door, McCard pushed Perry aside and assaulted Heisler. McCard and Perry then forced Heisler into his own car, which they drove to a location near the Utah-Arizona border, charging documents state.
McCard let Perry out of the vehicle near River Road and State Road 7 in Washington County, she told police, and left her on the side of the road.
She called Freeman to pick her up, and they drove to Mesquite, Nev., where they gambled for about an hour before McCard called, asking them to pick him up in Beaver Dam, Ariz., a document says.
Heisler's father reported him missing that day after he had come home from work and noticed blood on the floor and items missing from the home they share. A video game was paused, his father told police, but Heisler was not there.
Heisler's car was found July 1, abandoned in Beaver Dam, an unincorporated community in Mohave County, Ariz. The vehicle reportedly had been there since the day of Heisler's disappearance.
Police found blood on the exterior of the car and a bullet casing inside the vehicle, according to charging documents.
A Mohave County sheriff's officer testified during an Aug. 8 preliminary hearing for McCard that they recovered a pillowcase that matched the description of one from Heisler's bedroom, a severed cord with a knot in it, a zip tie and a pair of sunglasses where McCard told authorities that he and the co-defendants had left Heisler, according to the Daily Spectrum.
Weiland said Heisler's body was located near a road that was more than four miles from where McCard said he left Heisler.
Private investigator E. Christian Warmsley, who is working for the Heisler family, said Friday that Heisler was "still bound" when his body was discovered.
"They are heartbroken," Warmsley said of Heisler's family. "The harsh reality of almost closure is overwhelming."
The private investigator said Heisler's family was thankful of the community support they have received since the man went missing, including food donations from businesses during searches and the work that Santa Clara officers put into the case.
"The community help and support — that's the way things should be done," Warmsley said.
McCard, Perry and Freeman are all being held at the Washington County jail.
McCard is due in court on Sept. 6 for an arraignment, while Perry is expected in court on Aug. 30 for a scheduling hearing. Freeman's case has been put on hold after the assigned judge recused himself from her case.
jmiller@sltrib.com
| Courtesy Kelley Marie Perry
| Courtesy Francis Lee McCard
