Body In Burley Motel Crawl Space Identified

Officials in south-central Idaho have opened a homicide investigation after a body found in the crawl space of a Burley motel was identified as a motel employee who went missing on May 4.

Cassia County officials say the body of 54-year-old Russ Taft was found on May 18 under the office of the Alpine Garden Inn. An autopsy determined he died from blunt force trauma to the head and was stabbed in the heart.

Officers want to question 55-year-old James Ambrose about Taft’s death. Ambrose went missing at the same time Taft did and is charged with grand theft after a vehicle was reported missing.

Police say Ambrose was last seen in Las Vegas around May 7. He has several outstanding warrants for kidnapping, battery and other crimes in Nevada.