This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Police hope seized electronics will provide more details in the case of a Santa Clara man who has been missing for six weeks.
On July 29, officers from Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department seized four cellphones, a tablet and a laptop they believe three people used to help plot the incident.
Francis Lee McCard, 55, Kelley Marie Perry, 31, and Tammy Renee Freeman, 54, were charged in 5th District Court with aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony, aggravated burglary, also a first-degree felony, and car theft, a second-degree felony.
The affidavit also mentions the possibility of homicide, referring to the victim of the alleged kidnapping, 30-year-old David Corey Heisler, who had been awarded sole custody of his and Perry's 6-year-old daughter two weeks before he disappeared, court records show.
After the judge announced his decision to award Heisler custody, McCard told Perry, "I will fix this," court documents note, citing witnesses. McCard and Perry were "romantically involved," police say.
After Heisler's disappearance, McCard told police "that he and [Perry] looked up, on either [Perry's] tablet or her laptop, the area of Mount Trumbull after police spoke with [Perry] in an initial interview," the affidavit states. "McCard said that they spoke after the interview to learn what each other had told police and wanted to see if the area was where [Heisler] had been left by McCard."
Police believe text messages, call logs, notes, browser history, emails, a contact list and images stored on the devices will serve as evidence of kidnapping, burglary, vehicle theft and homicide, the affidavit states.
The three defendants admit, charging documents state, that on June 27, Freeman — who rents rooms in her Washington city house to McCard and Perry — drove the duo to Heisler's home, where Perry knocked on the door.
When Heisler answered the door, McCard pushed Perry aside and assaulted Heisler, documents state. McCard and Perry then forced Heisler into his own car, which they drove to a location near the Utah-Arizona border, charging documents state.
McCard let Perry out of the vehicle near River Road and State Road 7 in Washington County, she told police, and left her on the side of the road. She called Freeman to pick her up, and they drove to Mesquite, Nev., where they gambled for about an hour before McCard called, asking them to pick him up in Beaver Dam, Ariz., a document says.
A charging document also says McCard altered his appearance by shaving his head in a bathroom, and video surveillance shows Freeman dusting off McCard's shoulder "immediately after the incident."
Heisler's father reported him missing that day after he had come home from work and noticed blood on the floor and items missing from the home they share. A video game was paused, his father told police, but Heisler was not there.
A text message conversation between Heisler and Perry showed that she knew he was alone at the house, a court document states.
Heisler's car was found July 1, abandoned in Beaver Dam, an unincorporated community in Mohave County. The vehicle reportedly had been abandoned since June 27, court documents state, the day of Heisler's disappearance.
Police found blood on the exterior of the car, court documents state, and a bullet casing inside the vehicle.
The Spectrum and Daily News reports that Sgt. Jaron Studley testified Monday that officers from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office recovered a pillowcase that matched the description of one from Heisler's bedroom, a severed cord with a knot in it, a zip tie and a pair of sunglasses where McCard told authorities that he and co-defendants had left Heisler.
From McCard's home, police seized two types of rope, a pair of insulated gloves, two handguns, ammunition and other items, a court document states.
McCard, Perry and Freeman are in the Washington County Jail. Each has been appointed a public defender, and McCard and Perry's cases have been assigned to Judge Eric Ludlow. Freeman's case was assigned to Ludlow, but a court docket shows her case is to be reassigned.
McCard is being held without bail. Freeman's bail, which was originally set at $50,000, cash only, has been denied. Bail for Perry is set at $100,000, cash only.
McCard attended a preliminary hearing Monday and is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment Sept. 6. Perry was scheduled for a review hearing Monday, but she was in lockdown at the jail and did not attend. She is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 30.
A fundraising page was set up the week Heisler disappeared, seeking help to find him and help keep his daughter in her grandparents' care.
Anyone with information on Heisler's whereabouts is asked to call 435-634-5730 to talk to Washington County dispatch or Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department.
Twitter: @mnoblenews