2 in custody after man's body found near Apache Junction

PHOENIX - Two people are in custody after a body was found in a desert area in Pinal County earlier this week, and police are asking for the public's help in finding a crucial piece of evidence.

Wendy Lee Anderson, 38, and Matthew Borum, 30, were arrested at Anderson's north Phoenix home Thursday morning.

Phoenix police Sgt. Trent Crump said the victim had been shot to death.

Around 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, a man checking on his cattle pens near Camino Viejo and Entrada Del Oro in Gold Canyon called 911. “I found a dead body,” a husky voice calmly said. “It's where we bring our cattle through to our home place pasture.”

During the investigation, Pinal County Sheriff's detectives learned the 57-year-old victim had last lived in Phoenix near 35th Street and Bell Road, where he was staying with a recently married couple -- Anderson and Borum.

Phoenix police Sgt. Trent Crump said officers talked to the pair at the Phoenix home and became suspicious of their behavior.

Authorities got a search warrant and according to court documents they found evidence in the garage linking that scene to the spot where the victim's body was discovered.

Worried neighbors watched the police search in wonder.

Randy Fivecoat described the experience as, “a little unnerving, happening right around the corner, I don't know if it happened in the house.”

Police believe it did. According to court documents, what appeared to be blood was found on a wall in the garage and on towels, rugs and other household items.

The victim's driver's license was found in a trash can along with a shell casing, the documents stated.

Detectives believe the victim was part of a violent physical struggle before he was shot to death.

"That's even more unnerving. Just goes to show you really don't know your neighbors,” said Fivecoat.

Police arrested Anderson and Borum, and both are facing murder charges, Crump said.

Authorities are now looking for a white pickup truck believed to belong to one of the suspects and used to take the man's body to the dump site. Anderson reportedly tried to report the 1998 Chevrolet pickup stolen by the victim. The license plate reads "AMY9487."

According to the documents, Anderson and Borum said the last time they saw the victim was a couple of days ago during an argument over the vehicle.

Police explained to ABC15 why at this point, it's hard to nail down a motive.

“This is a case where the suspects have stopped talking to us so that is part of our job is figuring it out,” said Crump.

Both were booked into the Maricopa County Jail on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, destruction of evidence and unlawful disposal of human remains.

Authorities have not released the victim's name.