Suspect Ruled Out In Elderly Man’s Death

Cassia County authorities continued their investigation into last week’s campground slaying of an elderly man, interviewing a new suspect arrested earlier in the day in neighboring Twin Falls.

Cassia County Sheriff Bill Crystal said officers determined the suspect, picked up on an unrelated probation violation charge, was not involved.

The department questioned its original suspect late last week after he was detained in Boise. But investigators determined that while the man was with the victim earlier Wednesday he was not present at the time of the killing late Wednesday night, Crystal said.

The sheriff also finally identified the victim as Raymond W. Urban, 73. He said investigators came up with three old addresses for Urban - in Wisconsin, California and Nevada - but could not locate any relatives.

Urban’s body was pulled from Rock Creek about a half mile downstream from the Sawtooth National Forest’s Schipper campground where he was camped. Authorities said Urban had been bludgeoned with what appeared to be a tire iron more than 12 hours earlier.

Other campers told police initially that Urban and the first suspect had been seen together in a recreational vehicle at the campground. Crystal said the vehicle had Michigan plates that were not registered to it.