NEWMAN (CBS13) – Authorities arrested two people in Stanislaus County in connection with the murder of a California man at an Oregon hotel, the Grants Pass Department of Public Security announced.
Shortly after 11 am on January 5, the victim, Ryan Antone Dutra, 42, from California, was found unconscious with a single gunshot wound on the floor of a hotel room he had rented at a Red Lion Inn in Josephine County, Oregon, police said. It was discovered by a hotel employee. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Derek and Tera Smith
Through video surveillance, cell phone technology and license plate readers, officials said they identified the suspects in Dutra’s murder as Derek Ian Smith, 41, and his wife, Tera Lindsey Smith, 34. Police said the two were likely back in California by the time they were identified.
The California Highway Patrol Police Department, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office helped with the investigation.
At around 10:30 am on January 6, the Smiths were found driving on Interstate 5 in the city of Newman in Stanislaus County and were taken into custody without incident, officials said.
Both face charges of murder, theft and illegal use of a firearm.
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