Michael Wyffels, 55, of Sun City, was arrested Tuesday, Oct. 29, in Portland, Ore., for his alleged involvement in the Aug. 17 homicide of Alan Arvey, an 87-year-old Sun City man, whose body was located in Oak Creek Canyon.
Coconino County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the switchbacks near milepost 389 on State Route 89A in Oak Creek Canyon, for a report of a recovered stolen vehicle on Aug. 17.
That same day detectives responded to a call of a deceased elderly male near the area the vehicle was located. At that point in the investigations, CCSO said it was unknown if the two were connected.
Arvey was positively dentified on Aug. 26. Arvey had been reported missing to Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office by his family earlier in the week.
After Arvey was identified, CCSO detectives identified a suspect by tracking bank account transactions for Arvey. Detectives were able to identify a male subject captured on ATM video surveillance and other business surveillance video associated with purchases and withdrawals made both before and after Arvey was discovered deceased. Detectives were able to identify the suspect as Wyffels, also of Sun City.
Credit card transactions reportedly led detectives to Portland, Ore. Detectives from the CCSO worked with detectives from Oregon’s Washington County Sheriff’s Office to locate Wyffels at a residence in Beaverton, Ore.
Wyffels was taken into custody by Oregonian officials for charges related to credit card fraud in the Beaverton area on Aug. 28. During the investigation, detectives found that Wyffels had been released from the Arizona Department of Corrections on Aug. 16, one day prior to the death of Arvey.
On Oct. 29, CCSO detectives took custody of Wyffels from the WCSO in Hillsboro, Ore., and transported him back to Flagstaff.
Wyffels was booked into the Coconino County Detention Facility in Flagstaff for first-degree murder, felony murder, armed robbery, kidnapping and theft of means of transportation.
Wyffels is currently being held on a $3 million bond.
CCSO thanks the public for the tips it received in this case. Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Arvey’s death.
