Three people in Modoc County, including the wife of the victim, have been accused of murder, Sheriff William “Tex” Dowdy said.
The Modoc County Sheriff’s Office in a news release posted on Facebook said on June 27 a rock hunter discovered the body of a man in a shallow grave near the Plum Valley Campground. The campground is in the Warner Mountains near Davis Creek.
Deputies responded to the area and recovered the remains of Emmanuel Pochylski, a 41-year-old man who was last seen on June 11, the sheriff’s office said.
Three days before the grave was discovered, the sheriff’s office received information of a potential homicide at a home in Davis Creek.
The information led to a search warrant being served at residence off Highway 395 in Davis Creek, where deputies found evidence that indicated that Pochylski was dead, the sheriff’s office said.
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Further investigation led to the arrest of Christina C. Love, 39; Benjamin J. Kiser, 27; and Durrell J. Chambers, 37, for suspicion of murder and other charges, the sheriff’s office said. Love and Kiser were arrested on June 25 and Chambers was arrested on June 26, Dowdy said.
According to Dowdy, Love and Pochylski were married and had a long history of “domestic violence-type issues.” The Davis Creek residence that deputies searched was the home of Love and Pochylski, Dowdy said.
Pochylski also knew Kiser and Chambers, the sheriff said.
“We are still working through that. There’s quite a bit of stuff to sort through,” Dowdy said when asked about a motive.
Dowdy would not say where the alleged murder took place or how Pochylski died.
Love, Kiser and Chambers are scheduled to be arraigned in Modoc County Superior Court on July 14, Dowdy said.
This is the first homicide in Modoc County in five years.
In February 2024, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that Jarrett Bleu Rucker, 52, of Alturas, was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison for the murder of Milton “Yogi” McGarva, who was stabbed to death in Modoc County on March 9, 2020.
Bonta said McGarva was a member of the Pit River Tribe and was a victim of the Missing Murdered Indigenous Persons crisis in California.
David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly “Buzz on the Street” column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: 3 accused of murder in far Northern California county