NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Glenn County authorities said the body of a missing Orland man was found on the Colusa County side of the Walker Ridge area in a case that is now being handled as a homicide investigation.
The body of 26-year-old Brandon Bryce Dawson was located with the help of cadaver dogs, according to a Friday report from the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office.
The agency said Dawson disappeared under suspicious circumstances from a residence in the rural Orland area in the early morning hours of March 8.
Dawson’s mother, Kelly Skidmore, and his girlfriend, Ashley Heitland, reported Dawson’s disappearance to Glenn County Sheriff’s deputies on March 10.
Glenn County Sheriff’s deputies checked the immediate area and were unable to locate Dawson, and the investigation was turned over to detectives from the Glenn Investigative Task Force, authorities said.
The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office said detectives received tips from several sources, including Dawson’s family members.
The agency said the tips alleged that Dawson was in a dispute with several subjects regarding illegal drugs, that he was murdered sometime on or after March 8, and that his body was dumped in a wilderness area in Colusa County.
Glenn County detectives contacted the California Office of Emergency Services to request mutual aid, according to the Friday report.
The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office said cadaver dogs and handlers from various areas in Northern California, along with members the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office, and Glenn and Colusa County Search and Rescue teams, assisted the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office with a search in the wilderness area near Colusa and Lake County.
During the search, cadaver dogs located human remains in the area of Walker Ridge in Colusa County, authorities said.
Glenn County officials said the remains were identified as Dawson. Dawson’s family was notified and the investigation is ongoing.
The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office said it will release more information as it becomes available.
Remains of Orland murder victim found in Walker Ridge area
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