Update: Body Found In Tuolumne County
Groveland, CA – The Stockton Police Department has released new information about the gruesome find of a dismembered body and the arrest of a Stockton man. A bloody crime scene and tips led police to Groveland where they found the murder suspect 38-year-old Bryan Cook burning a man’s torso in a campfire.
On Thursday, Stockton Police Officers responded to a tip about a possible murder at a house on the 4500 block of Mist Trail Drive. When officers arrived at the home, they found the tenants had moved out. Officers searched the house and found evidence of a bloody crime scene, but no body. Tips led detectives to a property in Groveland. Stockton investigators asked Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Deputies to assist them in checking out the location. That is when they discovered Cook at the campfire and a burning male torso in the flames. In a search of the campsite, detectives discovered body parts in Cook’s vehicle.
Stockton Police Officer Joe Silva says, “At this time we don’t have the body identified, but I can say that it is an adult male and right now the cause of death is unknown.”
The exact location of the property is not being released at this time. Cook was arrested for suspicion of homicide at the scene without incident. He was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail.
Detectives have interviewed 49-year-old Valentina Taz, a woman who lived in the Stockton home. Silva says she is not a suspect in the murder at this time. Investigators say they still do not have a motive for the murder. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Stockton Police Department at (209) 937-8377, Crime Stoppers at (209) 946-0600, or leave a tip on the Stockton Police Department’s Facebook page.
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