Court documents reveal grisly details of alleged drug-dealing killing of missing Spokane Valley man
A Spokane Valley man who went missing in December 2015 may have been beaten to death, dismembered and his body moved multiple times, according to newly released court documents.
Alvaro Guajardo, 52, and Colby D. Vodder, 26, have been accused in the disappearance and suspected drug-related killing of 32-year-old Bret R. Snow. The two are being held on $1 million bonds.
Court documents disclose statements from multiple witnesses about what happened the night Snow was last seen on Dec. 2, 2015. According to those witnesses who knew the two suspects, Guajardo talked candidly about how Vodder dismembered Snow in a workshop in the 7800 block of North Starr Road in Newman Lake, where Guajardo was living.
Guajardo went on to tell the witness Vodder “passed out during the killing and dismembering of Snow because he couldn’t handle it,” the witness told police. Guajardo also said he would take the blame in court if necessary because Vodder had a daughter and he cared for him.
A search by detectives last June found blood and hair belonging to Snow in the area, but the amount of blood shed could not be determined since the workshop was renovated by new owners, according to court documents. Detectives noted that with chemical processing, the scene suggested a “significant blood-letting event had taken place.”
The witness also told detectives the two suspects joked about how Vodder “couldn’t be trusted to drive because stuff would fall out of his truck,” referring to Snow’s body. The witness told police how the two joked about bad things happening to people who “screw over others.”
Snow, who has a history of drug use, was reported missing by his mother on Dec. 15, 13 days after he was last seen getting a ride to property on North Starr Road. His cellphone was pinging in that area until the early morning of Dec. 3, when it fell silent.
Family, friends and acquaintances told police they heard rumors that Snow was killed by drug dealers because he was responsible for a deal that turned sour. One witness who was with Snow in the weeks leading up to his disappearance told police Vodder made Snow go with him to do some dealings around Thanksgiving 2015 because Snow had gotten “ripped off” and lost some of Vodder’s drugs, according to court documents. She said that was the last time she saw Snow alive.
Other witnesses told detectives Vodder had bragged to them that he and Guajardo “took care” of Snow. One witness described Vodder showing her what she believed to be the murder weapon as he held it up and waived it around. She said it was about 2 feet long, made of metal and “had teeth on it.”
Another witness told police Vodder became threatening to him at a party sometime after Snow disappeared and admitted to “hitting some guy with a shovel,” according to court documents. He said Vodder made statements about being afraid to go to prison, where he would not be able to see his daughter.
Police still haven’t located Snow’s body. Last June, they searched a small hole near the workshop where Snow’s blood was found but did not locate anything.
Witnesses told police they heard his body was buried behind a barn in Greenacres, but then dug up and moved to Mount Spokane. Another told detectives that Vodder said the body was “at the bottom of a lake,” according to court documents.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate Snow’s death and hopes to locate his remains. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Lyle Johnston at (509) 477-3191.