Gone without a trace -- a man believed to be the victim of foul play is now considered the cause of it.
Jeffrey Crawford, his wife Ashley and her cousin Tonda, went missing from Mason County in June. Six weeks later, the women were found dead. Now, Jeffrey Crawford is wanted in their murders.
Police have no evidence that Jeffrey Crawford is even alive. But, they have nothing that shows he's dead either. What they do have is a witness who is very clear about what was seen, making Jeff a wanted man in more ways than one.
"Yesterday, December 6, we obtained arrest warrants for Jeff Crawford for the murders of Tonda Nelson and Ashley Crawford," West Virginia State Police Trooper S.C. Allen said.
That news came six months after the three first disappeared. They were last seen at Jeff and Ashley's home on Jeffer's Ridge in Mason County. But, all police found was the charred remains of their trailer -- the apparent result of arson.
Clues were scarce, and we spoke to Jeff Crawford's mother back then. She was certain something terrible had happened to her son.
"He would have called me," Shela Crawford said. "He tells everyone I'm his best friend. He would have called me."
Then, six weeks later, Ashley and Tonda's bodies were discovered in a shallow grave not far from the Crawfords' home. But, Jeff was still missing. Now police say an eyewitness places Jeff at the scene of the crime -- not as a victim.
"They witnessed Jeff Crawford and a person or persons murder Ashley and Tonda," Allen said.
Now, police are aggressively searching for Jeff, but so is Jeff's family. We caught up with them this weekend at an event to raise money to assist in the search for him. This was before they found out he was wanted for murder.
"All we want to do is find his body," his brother, Brent Matthews, said. "It's a horrible thing that's happened. I was really close to him, and it's tough."
State police say they've received very little help from the public in this case. If you have any information that could lead to Jeff Crawford, you're asked to all the state police Mason County detachment at 304-675-0850 .
We also learned Wednesday that Ashley and Tonda both died from blows to the head, but police refused to comment further from there.
The family said Saturday during the fundraiser that if Jeff was never found, then the leftover money would go to fund searches for other missing people. Presumably, now that Jeff Crawford is considered a murder suspect, the same would hold true for any funds raised for the search efforts.