Felony warrants obtained for Page County murder suspect who was also involved in a police shooting at a Reno casino
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, May 9 — A man that went missing in the Luray area around Labor Day in 2022 may be the remains that local investigators uncovered on Monday after receiving additional information in the case. Local law enforcement officials have obtained warrants for the key suspect in the victim’s death and charged him with second degree murder. However, that suspect was also involved in a December 2022 police shooting at the Silver Legacy Casino in Reno, Nevada, where he is currently being held in custody.
Marcus Lee Lewis (pictured above) was initially considered a “person of interest” on Oct. 11, 2022 — a little over a month after Joshua Dee Bradford was last seen in the Luray area on Sept. 3, 2022 getting into a blue sedan. He was reported missing by his family, and the Page County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation.
When Lewis was approached by local law enforcement, he left Page County, according to a recent PCSO report. He would resurface about two months later in Reno, Nevada. It was around 6 a.m. on Dec. 4, 2022, when Reno Police responded “for a welfare check on a person who was barefoot and possibly armed with a knife,”according to a report by KOLO Channel 8 (ABC). When approached by Reno police, “Lewis failed to follow verbal commands and fled on foot. Officers then pursued him to the valet area of the Silver Legacy before deploying their taser. The taser proved ineffective and he continued to refuse verbal commands and shots were fired. Emergency medical aid was rendered on scene and Lewis was transported to the hospital for further treatment.”
He was listed as being in critical, but stable condition after the shooting. He was charged in Reno with resisting a public officer with a dangerous weapon, a felony, and walking along and upon a highway, a misdemeanor. Reno Police notified the local sheriff’s office of Lewis’ arrest.
“My investigations division is working with Reno/Sparks Police and the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney as they continue to investigate the disappearance of Joshua Bradford,” Page County Sheriff Chad Cubbage said, according to the Dec. 8, 2022 ABC affiliate report.
On Thursday evening, the sheriff’s office posted a “Missing Persons Case Update” on its Facebook page stating that local investigators received additional information in the case on Monday, May 6 that lead to the discovery of “human remains in an area of Page County.”
“Investigators have been and are still actively pursuing leads in this case,” states the May 9 social media post by the sheriff’s office. “The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, along with the Department of Forensic Science will need to make a positive identification of the remains before an official determination can be made.”
Evidence gathered during the investigation has lead to felony warrants being obtained, and the PCSO’s Investigations Division charging Lewis with an unclassified felony for murder in the second degree; a Class 6 felony for willfully, intentionally and physically defiling a dead human body; and another Class 6 felony for transporting, concealing or altering a dead body.
The May 9 report also states: “The Page County Sheriff’s Office has been assisted by the Page County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Virginia State Police Division II Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, The Sparks Police Department, Luray Police Department, and the Virginia Department of Forensic Science.”
“Due to the integrity of the investigation, no additional information will be released at this time,” the May 9 PCSO social media post states.
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