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Arzell Tuttle Case | A Horrible Ending For A Missing 86-Year-Old Triad Man; What's Next In the Investigation?

The search for Arzell Tuttle may have reached a tragic end Wednesday night when authorities found a body in Fancy Gap, Virginia.

Authorities believe they found the body of missing King man Arzell Tuttle Wednesday night, confirming suspicions about the 86-year-old's disappearance.

RELATED: Missing King Man Case: Body Found, Winston-Salem Man Charged with Murder

Tuttle's case involved multiple agencies in North Carolina and Virginia since he was reported missing last weekend. Here's a timeline of what we know:

WEDNESDAY

  • Tuttle was last seen at his home on E. King Street in King.

FRIDAY

  • Forsyth County Emergency Communications got a report of a suspicious fire on Kentucky Avenue in Winston-Salem Friday night. Tuttle's car, a silver 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser, was found abandoned and burned. A family member told communications they couldn't find Tuttle.

SATURDAY

  • A Silver Alert was issued for Tuttle Saturday morning by King Police and the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons. 
  • King Police say they suspect foul play and say Tuttle could have been victim to an assault or kidnapping after searching his home. 

RELATED: 'Evidence Of A Violent Crime': King Police Release New Details in Missing 86-Year-Old Man Investigation

SUNDAY

  • King police chief Paula May confirmed they found evidence of a violent crime at Tuttle's house and inside his car. 
  • King Police were alerted to two people of interest seen Friday between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. near where Tuttle's car was found. They released descriptions of a man and woman along with an early 2000s model, Pontiac Grand Am they were seen traveling in.

WEDNESDAY

  • Authorities find a body in Fancy Gap, Virginia that they believe is Tuttle's. The body has still yet to be officially identified.
  • Police identify Tuttle's accused murderer as 20-year-old Christian Willard of Winston-Salem. Willard is arrested and being held in the Stokes County Detention Center on first-degree murder charges.
  • Police revealed they believe Tuttle was murdered at his home between the evening hours of Jan. 9 and the morning of Jan. 10. 

THURSDAY

  • Willard has first court appearance in Stokes County Court.  The judge denied him bond.  He's due back in court on February 13, 2019.
  • Friends tell us more about Arzell Tuttle.  He was known in several areas of Stokes County.  We're told he used to own a restaurant in Germanton and used to live by Walnut Cove, where he would shop and get his hair cut downtown.

RELATED: Foul Play Suspected After King Man Disappears, His Car Found Burned in Winston-Salem

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