Sex Offender Arrest Leads to Two Bodies
Bodies of two Utah men missing since Oct. 24 were buried at sex offender's home.
Nov. 19, 2007— -- A Utah sex offender could face charges in the deaths of two men who disappeared in late October after their bodies were unearthed at the man's home over the weekend.
Authorities discovered the gunshot-riddled bodies of Derek Davis and Chad Grijalvam, both 34, Saturday in shallow graves under a shed at the ramshackled home of Martin Nelson.
Nelson was arrested Friday night for failing to properly register his sex offender status in Washington County. No formal charges have been filed in the deaths of the two men, longtime friends who went missing Oct. 24, according to Iron County Sheriff Mark Gower.
Police discovered a white pickup truck belonging to Davis when they returned to Nelson's home Saturday with a search warrant. They were there to gather more evidence against Nelson for his alleged failure to register as a sex offender.
Dogs ultimately led authorities to the two bodies, which were buried 100 yards away from the truck on a property described as "cluttered" with dozens of abandoned vehicles. Investigators confirmed to ABC News' Salt Lake affiliate ABC 4 that the two men died from multiple rifle shots.
Gower said that deputies had no idea that the arrest of Nelson would lead to the discovery of the two bodies.
Keith Walker, Derek Davis' brother-in-law, described Davis as a loving father of three small children.
"We're basically in agreement with Chad's family, and we feel like if he did this, he's an animal and deserves whatever he gets," Walker told ABC 4. "And we hope it's the maximum they can give him."
Martin Nelson had been previously convicted of child molestation of a minor. He is being held in the Iron County Jail on charges of failure to register as a sex offender and cultivating marijuana.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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