Suspect, now dead, named in killing of Utah couple Jerry and Susan McFalls

SALT LAKE CITY — A suspect, who was shot and killed in 2023, has been identified in the killing of Utah couple Jerry and Susan McFalls — first missing in January 2018. Their bodies were discovered in a shallow grave in October of the same year.

Arizona police named Kenneth Gene Snyder as the person responsible for the McFalls’ deaths.  With the announcement, the case will no longer be active.

“Suspect Kenneth Gene Snyder had since been shot and killed during the commission of a domestic violence assault on his property on June 1, 2023,” said the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office. “With Snyder being deceased, no arrest can be made in reference to his involvement in the murder of Jerry and Susan McFalls.”

The McFalls, both 62, were discovered missing in January 2018. In October 2018, two sets of human remains were located near the Virgin River Gorge. Susan McFalls was identified that month and Jerry McFalls was identified on Jan. 30, 2020, with DNA analysis.

Family Members Mark 1 Year Since Remains Found In Missing Couple Case

Snyder, 57, of Littlefield, Arizona, was identified as a suspect police said.

The couple had a second home in Littlefield — near the Utah-Arizona-Nevada border — and went missing Jan 11, 2018. Family said they left important items behind, left doors at the home unlocked, left the television on and a pot roast was defrosting on the kitchen counter.

“Detectives conducted follow-up interviews with neighbors and acquaintances,” the sheriff’s office said. “As a result, a witness was identified who alleged that Kenneth Snyder had shot and killed the McFalls.”

The sheriff’s office said a witness spoke with investigators and told them Snyder and Jerry McFalls got into a verbal altercation.

“The witness gave extensive details into the night of the McFalls’ death,” the sheriff’s office said. “The altercation escalated resulting in Snyder shooting Jerry, then Susan, and removing their bodies from the property. Snyder allegedly threatened to kill the witness if they called law enforcement.”

Detectives used search warrants and collected evidence to substantiate the information and determined Snyder was responsible for the killings.

Details about Synder’s death were not immediately available.