MOSSY HEAD — A young man and teenage girl face murder and other charges in connection with the death of 77-year-old Arthur Gerald Anderson.
Chrispen Ramirez, 22, and Haley Nicole Bowden, 16, had been arrested Thursday on charges unrelated to Anderson’s death, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
Murder charges were added Friday after deputies found Anderson’s abandoned vehicle and later discovered his body nearby.
“Family members of Anderson told deputies they had not seen him in a few days,” the Sheriff’s Office reported.
The news release said investigators determined Bowden and Ramirez killed Anderson when he confronted them while they were entering a home on West Juniper Avenue, where he was a caretaker.
“The couple then attempted to burn the residence, stole Anderson’s vehicle and dumped it later,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Bowden and Ramirez were arrested Thursday on charges stemming from their fleeing from deputies who were trying to find Bowden, who had been reported as a runaway by her parents.
As the pursuit and arrest of Ramirez and Bowden was unfolding, a different group of deputies were dispatched to Beaver Dam Road near Mossy Head on a trespass complaint, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
“The complainant told deputies someone had come onto private property and abandoned a vehicle,” the news release said. “It was found partially submerged in water, with the tag missing.”
Investigators used the vehicle identification number to trace ownership to Anderson, and from there connected Ramirez and Bowden to his disappearance and his death, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
As of Friday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Office had not reported how Anderson was killed.
Ramirez, who lives in Mossy Head, is charged with an open count of murder, arson, assault on a law enforcement officer and interference with child custody.
Bowden, also of Mossy Head, is charged with an open count of murder, resisting arrest and arson.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.
