Shortly after a Lake Tahoe woman was reported missing, her boyfriend was caught after allegedly fleeing Reno within the automotive of a person who was shot to death.
The case began with a missing person report filed with the Placer County Sheriff's Office on Friday, August 9: Patricia Portella-Wright, 48, had failed to indicate up for work. She was a photographer and art gallery worker who lived in Kings Beach along with her boyfriend, Brent Clifford, 55, and was last seen on August 4.
Officers were unable to achieve Clifford and commenced trying to find him.
A possible clue was found two days later. On Sunday, August 11, police were called to a house in Reno where they found 68-year-old William Andrews dead from a gunshot wound to the pinnacle. Andrews turned out to be an acquaintance of Brent Clifford.
After the connection was made, the Placer County Sheriff's Office asked the general public for assist in locating Andrews' missing vehicle, a red Chevrolet Blazer. The office said the SUV was last seen near Hallelujah Junction on Highway 70 in California, and it published an image from a surveillance camera of the vehicle passing the Circus Circus Casino in downtown Reno.
The driver of the Blazer was probably Clifford, it was said.
On Wednesday around 4 p.m., Clifford was arrested in Portola on suspicion of identity theft. The blazer was found nearby.
As the seek for Portella-Wright continued, investigators found clues that led them to the Mount Rose area. On Thursday, a drone spotted a body on a steep slope below Mount Rose Highway between the ski area and the Galena Forest neighborhood. It was recovered and identified as Portella-Wright's body that afternoon. A Placer County Sheriff's Office spokesman didn’t give a reason behind death but said there have been signs of foul play.
Based on the identification, Clifford was charged with murder and was within the Placer County Jail on Thursday.
Map points
1: Patricia Portella-Wright, who lived with Brent Clifford in Kings Beach, was reported missing on August 9.
2: William Andrews was found shot to death in his Reno home on August 11.
3: After Andrews' death, his SUV was seen at Hallelujah Junction.
4: Clifford was arrested in Portola on August 14.
5: Portella-Wright's body was found next to the Mount Rose Highway on August 15.
Originally published:
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