Two women who were named persons of interest associated with a homicide in Oregon have been apprehended in Hawthorne.
The Tillamook County Sheriff's Office posted on their Facebook page that they were conducting a suspicious death investigation where a 52-year-old deceased male was located in a campsite in the Tillamook State Forest.
Officials say while making campsite visits in the East Fork of the Trask area of the Tillamook State Forest on Friday, December 2, a Tillamook County Sheriff’s Deputy located a deceased 52-year-old male in a campsite and his barking dog tied to a nearby tree.
Evidence found on scene indicated the man had been shot and his vehicle had been stolen.
Spent cartridges and a firearm were also located on scene.
Later that day, the sheriff's office announced the suspicious death was being investigated as a homicide.
The persons of interest were identified as Alyssa Z. Sturgill, 40, and Lisa M. Peaslee, 41 and it is believed Sturgill and Peaslee had taken the victim's light blue 2002 Toyota Sienna minivan.
Tillamook County Sheriff's Office
On Sunday, December 4, 2022, Sturgill and Peaslee were stopped in the victim’s minivan by Sheriff’s Deputies in Mineral County, Nevada.
Peaslee and Strugill were taken into custody on local Nevada charges, including Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, and were held on a no-bail hold.
Detectives have traveled to Hawthorne to begin the extradition process of returning the duo to Tillamook County, Oregon, to face charges of Murder in the Second Degree, Assault in the First Degree, Unlawful Use of a Firearm and Theft in the First Degree.
On Monday, December 5, officials with the Mineral County Sheriff's Office said Sturgill, Peaslee and the victim's vehicle were apprehended in Hawthorne.
“We are extremely grateful for the professionalism and the cooperation of all of the agencies involved that led to the quick apprehension of these two criminals,” said Detective Sgt. Michelle Brewer. “Those agencies include Tillamook 911, Oregon Department of Forestry, Tillamook Police, Oregon State Police and Crime Lab, Tillamook County District Attorney’s Office, and Mineral and Washoe County Sheriff’s Offices in Nevada.”
The investigation is ongoing.
