- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Sheriff’s office seeks suspects in murder of Lucerne man
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in locating two local men who investigators believe murdered a Lucerne man on Saturday.
Sheriff’s Lt. Corey Paulich said authorities have identified Daniel Wayne Ford, 49, of Lakeport and Michael Sean Shaffer, 35, of Upper Lake as the suspects in the death of Nicky Smith, 70, of Lucerne.
Shortly before 7:30 a.m. Saturday, radio reports indicated the discovery of a man down on the side of the road in the 4550 block of Scotts Valley Road in Lakeport, as Lake County News has reported.
Minutes later, deputies were dispatched to the scene, where it was confirmed that the man had died.
Initial radio reports had indicated a large amount of blood was found at the scene, and Paulich said Smith’s injuries led deputies to believe his death was suspicious.
California Highway Patrol officers and detectives from the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit responded and took over the investigation, Paulich said.
The investigation led to a portion of Scotts Valley Road being closed for several hours, based on reports from the scene.
During the investigation, Paulich said detectives located a separate related crime scene in the area of Eickhoff Road and Scotts Valley Road.
Paulich said detectives would later identify Smith as the victim. His cause of death is pending an autopsy later this coming week.
Detectives interviewed several witnesses in the area and also discovered Smith’s truck, a 2012 dark green Toyota Tundra, license number NASTOSR, is missing and believed stolen, Paulich said.
Now, Paulich said authorities are trying to locate Ford and Shaffer for Smith’s killing.
He said both men are believed to be armed and dangerous.
If Ford or Shaffer are seen, Paulich said not to attempt to contact them but to notify law enforcement immediately.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Sheriff’s Central Dispatch at 707-263-2690.
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