A California man arrested on Wednesday now faces a murder charge after authorities found a body they believe belongs to his girlfriend off a highway in Nevada.
Brent Clifford, 55, was booked Thursday on suspicion of murdering 48-year-old Patricia Portella-Wright, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office announced.
Investigators found a woman’s body after using a drone to fly over a steep embankment off Mt. Rose Highway in Washoe County, the sheriff’s office said. The local coroner has yet to formally make an identification.
Portella-Wright was last seen on Aug. 4, and she was believed to be with Clifford at the time of her disappearance, the sheriff’s office said in previous updates. She was reported missing five days later after not showing up to work.
Authorities in Nevada said Clifford traveled from the Lake Tahoe area in California to Reno on Aug. 9, the same day that Portella-Wright was reported missing, according to reports by the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Placer County Sheriff’s Office
The Placer County sheriff revealed in a press release on Wednesday that Clifford is also considered a person of interest in the killing of a Nevada man who was found dead on Aug. 11 in Reno.
William F. Andrews, 68, died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Gazette-Journal. It is unclear what kind of connection he may have had to Clifford before his death.
On Wednesday, Clifford was taken into custody after authorities located him in Portola, California, driving a red 2003 Chevrolet Blazer that belonged to Andrews, according to police.
Placer County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lt. Dave Smith told reporters on Thursday that Clifford had also been charged with identity theft.
Court records show that Clifford was charged on Wednesday with two felony counts of unlawful use of personal identifying information as well as one count of intent to defraud involving the use of an access card or access card information.
According to reports by ABC affiliate KXTV, Clifford is the son of Doug Clifford, the founding drummer for Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Clifford was arraigned on the identity theft charges Friday morning. It’s unclear whether he has an attorney representing him.
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