There’s still no known motive behind the Jan. 6 double murder that took the lives of two New Hampshire residents near Sedona.
According to Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Media Coordinator Dwight D’Evelyn, investigators are currently looking into the past activities of suspected killer Drew Ryan Maras, 30, and whether or not he spent time in the Sedona area prior to the murders.
D’Evelyn said YCSO deputies continue to coordinate the investigation with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
“MCSO is still working a timeline on the suspect, and we haven’t been told of any motive that they have discovered at this point. It’s still under investigation,” D’Evelyn said.
James Johnson, 63, from Jaffrey, N.H., and Carol Raynsford, 63, from Nelson, N.H., were found shot to death in an idling late-model red Subaru wagon around 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 6. Their bodies were discovered at the scenic overlook at Milepost 364 between Forest Road 89B and Page Springs Road just off State Route 89A between Cottonwood and Sedona.
On Jan. 8, a separate shooting occurred at a strip mall in Anthem that took the life of 20-year veteran MCSO Deputy William Coleman, who answered a 4 a.m. burglary call with his partner. Their attacker was shot and killed in the Anthem incident. Maras, 30, fired 29 rounds at police, two of which killed Coleman, according to MCSO. Deputies fired 41 rounds, killing Maras, according to MCSO.
Authorities confirmed a link between the Anthem shooting and the shooting in Sedona but were unable to provide a motive for the murder of the New Hampshire couple.
Patrick Whitehurst can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 125, or email pwhitehurst@larsonnewspapers.com
