One week after deputies arrest man in stolen van, vehicle’s missing owner found dead

A week after Ada County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 25-year-old Texan driving a minivan belonging to a missing man, authorities near Denver found the missing 62-year-old’s body, according to Ada County Sheriff’s Office.

In a blog post, ACSO said John Cumby Jr., who had been missing from Rock Falls, Ill., since September, was found Friday in the mountains west of Denver.

On Sunday, Sept. 10, deputies arrested Jeffrey Maynard, of Cypress, Texas, when he was stopped for driving erratically in what turned out to be Cumby’s missing minivan. Law enforcement officials also recovered Cumby’s wallet, credit cards and cellphone, according to court documents. They also found a sheet in the car that appears to have blood on it.

Maynard was charged with felony grand theft, grand theft by possession of stolen property, attempted aggravated assault on officer, providing false information, reckless driving and possession of a controlled substance (marijuana).

Maynard had more than one explanation for how he came into possession of Cumby’s van and other personal property, including that they had been together in Idaho Falls. He also said he was going on a shopping trip.

Before Cumby left home in mid-August, he told family he was going camping in the Denver area for a little while, police said. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Maynard had any ties to the area.

Maynard remains in Ada County Jail on a $500,000 bond, ACSO said.

This story was originally published September 19, 2017 at 12:05 PM with the headline "One week after deputies arrest man in stolen van, vehicle’s missing owner found dead."