Murdered couple whose bodies were uncovered by snowplow driver in Fargo-like mystery are identified as California husband and wife linked to the disappearance of another man during a $400K drug deal
A man and woman whose bodies were uncovered by a snowplow on a remote stretch of US 395 in the eastern Sierra Nevada earlier this week have been identified as a married couple from Southern California with a criminal past.
The bodies were found before dawn Monday on the shoulder of the highway by a Cal Trans snowplow driver clearing the lanes about 10 miles north of the tiny community of Bridgeport.
The victims on Thursday were positively identified as William Adrian Larsen, 35, and Yesenia Larsen, 30, from Burbank, the Mono County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
William Larsen was reportedly involved in the disappearance of 26-year-old Jered Stefansky, from Redding, California, who vanished in June after an alleged $400,000 marijuana deal.
A Cal Trans snowplow driver on Monday discovered the bodies of William and Yesenia Larsen who had been murdered on the shoulder of US 395 outside Bridgeport, California
William Larsen has been linked to the June disappearance of Jered Stefansky in connection to a $400,000 marijuana deal
Sheriff's spokesperson Sarah Roberts told DailyMail.com on Friday that the Larsens' bodies had been on the shoulder of the road for less than 24 hours before they were discovered.
Investigators previously said the couple had been murdered in a 'specific and targeted' attack.
According to an article and video published by 420 Magazine, Larsen allegedly set up a $400,000 marijuana deal involving Stefansky, who has been missing since June 19.
In the video, Stefansky's mother, Sheila Sharpe, said her son left Redding in June to drive to Carson City, Nevada, but never made it there and has not been seen or heard from in six months.
Sharpe said she hired a private investigator who identified William Larsen and another man as the people that Stefansky was supposed to meet in Carson City to complete the marijuana deal.
The Mono County Sheriff's Office said the Larsen couple's double homicide appears to be 'specific and targeted'
Records indicate that William Larsen and his wife were arrested in Pennsylvania in July 2018 on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.
According to the Erie County District Attorney's Office, the California couple were caught with 84lbs of marijuana and 1,200 vape cartridges filled with THC, reported GoErie.com in 2018.
William ultimately pleaded guilty to the marijuana charges, while his wife entered a diversion program and successfully completed it, according to KOLO-TV.
The Larsens' bodies were spotted just before dawn on Monday on the shoulder of the highway outside Bridgeport, some 400 miles away from their residence in Burbank.
The Mono County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman told the Los Angeles Times she was 'pretty positive' the Larsens had been killed where they were found, rather than just dumped there.
The Cal Trans employee who made the grisly discovery contacted the authorities and the highway was immediately closed to traffic.
Stefansky left Redding, California, on June 19 to drive to Carson City, Nevada, allegedly to meet with William Larsen and another man, but he never made it there
Sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers responded and determined the deaths were homicides, the Mono County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
'It can be confirmed that neither are local to Mono County or surrounding areas. The crime appears to be specific and targeted, and there is no threat to the community of Bridgeport,' the statement said.
The discovery came after the first storms of the season moved through California, bringing significant snowfall to the Sierra.
A $2,500 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in connection to killings.
Anyone with any information regarding this investigation is being asked to call the Mono County Sheriff's Office at 760-932-7549.