UPDATE: 05:38 p.m.
Two arrest warrants were granted Friday morning for a Mexico couple in connection with the double homicide that occurred near Auxvasse on Sept. 2.
The warrants were issued for Ryan C. Coari, 28, and his wife, Jacie K. (Gagala) Coari, 27, both of Mexico. Ryan Coari is being charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and second-degree arson. There is no bond on his warrant. Jacie Coari is being charged with two counts of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery. There is a $300,000 bond on her warrant.
Callaway County Sheriff Dennis Crane said the couple is in custody at the Macomb County Jail in Mount Clemens, Mich., on unrelated charges for the theft of a U-Haul from Thompson.
During a press conference Friday afternoon, Crane said it has not been determined when the Coaris will be extradited for their Missouri charges. He expects the Michigan charges to be dropped and the Coaris will be brought back to Missouri in about two weeks.
The bodies of Michael Wieberg, 56, and his daughter, Amanda Wieberg, 33, were recovered from the debris of Michael Wieberg's home at 1242 County Rd. 1027 on Sept. 2. The residence was destroyed in a fire earlier that day.
Officials ruled the Wiebergs' deaths as homicides, and a multi-jurisdictional task force was initiated. The task force included members of the Callaway County Sheriff's Office, Audrain County Sheriff's Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri State Fire Marshall's Office and officers with Mexico Public Safety.
According to court documents, Ryan Coari is charged with two counts of class A felony, first-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action for "knowingly" causing the death of the Wiebergs by shooting them on or about Sept. 1. He is also facing the charge of class C felony, second-degree arson for starting the fire at Michael Wieberg's residence, the court complaint states.
According to a sworn probable-cause statement from Crane, Ryan Coari admitted during an interview with law-enforcement officials that his wife dropped him off near the Wieberg residence on Sept. 1. The statement also said Ryan Coari admitted to shooting Michael Wieberg with a .40-caliber handgun, and that both the Wiebergs were dead when he left the Wieberg residence.
He also admitted that he later told his wife he "killed 'em," referring to the Wiebergs, and that he started a fire in the residence and disposed of the handgun he used in the crime, the statement reads.
According to Crane's statement, Jacie Coari admitted to officials that she transported her husband to a point down the road from the Wieberg residence. She said her husband told her he intended to rob Michael Wieberg. Jacie Coari also said that sometime after her husband returned home, he told her that he had bound and killed the Wiebergs.
Investigators found .40-caliber shell casings outside the Wieberg residence and the bodies of the father and daughter when they responded to the structure fire early on Sept. 2. The Boone/Callaway County medical examiner has ruled both victims died from gunshot wounds and were dead before the fire.
Crane told reporters Friday afternoon that Ryan Coari's name came up early in the homicide investigation as a person of interest. Crane said Coari was known to have negative association with both victims, but could not comment further.
According to a statement from the CCSO, investigators were led to the Coaris' whereabouts after they failed to return a U-Haul and the company filed a report with the Audrain County Sheriff's Office. Audrain County entered the vehicle into the national database, and Michigan authorities later detained the Coaris on local charges connected to the U-Haul.
Crane said Michigan officials from the Warren Police Department and the Macomb County Sheriff's Office "were of great assistance" in the investigation, opening their facilities for Missouri officials to interview the Coaris on Sept. 21.
"This is an effort from a lot of different agencies working together," Crane said.
Through interviews with the Coaris, Crane said investigators were led to believe the couple was in Michigan to transport some of Jacie Coari's belongings back to Missouri. She had recently moved to Mexico and married Ryan Coari.
Crane added that the investigation is ongoing and that divers are searching in ponds, streams and lakes in Audrain County for further evidence.
"It's nice to have (the Coaris) in custody," Crane said, "but it's not done."
---
ORIGINAL POST
Two arrest warrants were granted Friday morning in connection with the double homicide that occurred near Auxvasse on Sept. 2.
The warrants were issued for Ryan C. Coari, 28, of Mexico, and his wife, Jacie K. Coari, 27, of Mexico. Ryan Coari is being charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and second-degree arson. There is no bond on his warrant. Jacie Coari is being charged with two counts of murder in the second degree and robbery in the first degree. There is a $300,000 bond on her warrant.
Callaway County Sheriff Dennis Crane said the couple is currently in custody in Michigan on unrelated stolen vehicle charges. He also said it has not yet been determined when the Coaris will be extradited for their charges in Missouri.
The bodies of Michael Wieberg, 56, and his daughter, Amanda Wieberg, 33, were recovered from the debris of Michael Wieberg's home at County Road 1027 on Sept. 2. The residence was destroyed in a fire earlier that day. Officials ruled the Wiebergs' deaths as homicides, and a multi-jurisdictional task force was initiated. The task force included members of the Callaway County Sheriff's Office, Audrain County Sheriff's Office and officers with Mexico Public Safety.
A probable cause statement filed Friday says 27-year-old Jacie Coari confessed to taking Ryan Coari to Michael Wieberg's mobile home so her husband could rob the 56-year-old victim. She told authorities her 28-year-old husband later admitted he had bound and killed Wieberg and his 33-year-old daughter, Amanda Wieberg.
The probable cause statement also says Ryan Coari confessed to starting the fire in the home outside Auxvasse.