EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) -- New details are bringing to life a crime spree that spans Lane County and goes up to Portland. And a Eugene murder seems to be a major clue that connects it all.
David Taylor, A.J. Nelson and Mercedes Crabtree were all arrested last week. Police have been searching Taylor's home ever since the three suspect were arrested five days after Tino Gutierrez, Jr. was reported missing when he didn't come home from a bar on Highway 99.
Now we've learned that same day, August 8, police found Guitierrez's car abandoned in Mapleton and connected it to a bank robbery there. They’ve also connected the three suspects to an armed bank robbery in Creswell back in June.
Gutierrez's body was found in a remote area of Lane County. Detectives will not say yet when he was found or his connection to the suspects.
Authorities in the Portland area say Taylor, Crabree and another man, Spensir Mourey, are also suspected in a violent Lake Oswego home invasion on April 6.
Police say the suspects were wearing black outfits and carrying what looked like badges. They forced their way into the home, hitting the victim in the face with a gun and demanding items from his home.
