An Arizona Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of an Arizona man in the death of Farmington resident Sasha Marie Krause, 27, whose remains were found on Feb. 24.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office announced on April 21 that Mark Gooch, 21, was arrested at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, according to a press release.
Gooch is an Airman First Class with the United States Air Force, according to Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Jon Paxton.
The press release did not detail what charges Gooch was facing, just stating he was arrested for the homicide of Krause.
Detectives from the Coconino County and San Juan County sheriff’s offices around 9:20 a.m. on April 21 executed search warrants at the Air Force base where he lives.
Coconino County investigators learned during the time Krause went missing around Jan. 18, that Gooch traveled to Farmington from Luke Air Force Base.
Investigators also learned Gooch was placed near Sunset Crater in Coconino County where her body was located.
Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll thanked San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari and deputies for their efforts in the case.
Sheriff Ferrari thanked Sheriff Driscoll in a video statement posted to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
“San Juan County has lived in fear, not knowing if we had a predator living inside our community or somebody that was preying upon it,” Ferrari said. “I can assure you, we have our man.”
Ferrari vowed to continue to work to make sure Krause and her family receive the justice they deserve by ensuring Gooch receives the maximum sentence for his alleged crimes.
He added that Arizona still has the death penalty.
The Glendale Police Department, the U.S. Air Force and the FBI were some of the agencies that assisted in the investigation.
Krause was reported missing in early hours of Jan. 19 at the Lamp & Light Publishers on County Road 5577 in the Crouch Mesa area.
Krause was seen leaving her residence around 8 p.m. on Jan. 18, and did not return. Her vehicle was located at a nearby church in the area where she lived.
At the time, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office did not have evidence of an abduction, but it was not ruled out as she only took her cell phone.
Her disappearance was considered suspicious and law enforcement requested the public’s help in the search.
There were rumors of Krause interrupting a burglary in progress, but investigators said there was no evidence of a burglary.
A $50,000 reward was issued on Feb. 12 by the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office Foundation to help find Krause.
Coconino County law enforcement released information on Feb. 24, that a woman matching Krause’s description was found deceased on Feb. 21 between Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, north of Flagstaff.
Her identity was later confirmed by her fingerprints. The investigation shifted to a murder and kidnapping case after Krause was identified.
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©2020 The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.)
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