Michael Joseph Sanders was arrested this afternoon and charged with the murder of Skyler Naugle, who had been missing for over a week.
The body found in Little York hadn’t yet been identified as Naugle’s, despite the Indiana State Police report.
Police are still waiting on DNA and dental records to make a positive identification because the autopsy was inconclusive.
Sgt. Jerry Goodin issues a statement to clarify.
“In the previous release, I stated Michael Joseph Sanders was arrested for the Murder of Skyler Naugle. Skyler Naugle has not been 100% positively identified by the coroner’s standards.”
Goodin said for investigative and probable cause standards the body located in the woods near Little York was identified as Skyler Naugle.
“There is not a missing person’s case being worked at this point,” he stated in a press release. “If for some unknown reason the identification changes, it will be corrected. However, it does not matter if the found body turns out to be someone different, Sanders would still have been arrested for Murder.”
Around 12:30 pm today, a report of a stolen vehicle, a Gold, 2007 Ford Focus, was made on East New Cut Road near the location where Sanders was last seen on Monday.
A hunt for the stolen vehicle resulted in Michael Joseph Sanders being stopped on Boatman Road and York Road in Austin, (near Interstate #65), by an Austin City Police Officer.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Department issued the information regarding the stolen vehicle. Deputy Ryan Larrimore is working the stolen vehicle investigation.
While the hunt for the stolen vehicle was taking place, Washington County Prosecutor, Dustin Houchin, was in the process of seeking an arrest warrant on Sanders in the Washington County Circuit Court for Murder.
Indiana State Police Detectives had briefed the prosecutor earlier after obtaining enough information during their investigation to seek an arrest warrant.
Sanders was taken into custody by Austin City Police Officers and detectives from the Indiana State Police and is incarcerated at the Washington County Jail.
This investigation is continuing.
