TIMELINE: Suspect Charged in Southern Idaho Murder Investigation

The tragic murder of four people in Southern Idaho this week has left the community in a wave of mourning and had residents questioning their safety.

Police were able to use doorbell video footage to help them determine any suspicious vehicles and suspects. The suspect in the killings has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

Suspect Charged with 4 Counts of First-Degree Murder in 2-County Idaho Investigation

Social media posts and court documents, detailed below, help us understand the steps police followed to identify and apprehend the alleged murderer and what will happen next with bond and court dates.

On July 8th, the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office released a social media alert that earlier in the day there had been an incident and that the suspect was in custody. They assured the community that the threat was over and more information would be released the following day.

As promised, the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office shared a press release on July 9th. The news stated that a man had been arrested in connection to four killings in 2 Southern Idaho counties: Minidoka and Cassia County.

Police say the suspect, 56-year-old Ben Naylor, acted alone. They shared that the investigation began with a 911 call where they discovered a female homicide victim in a Rupert home with at least one gunshot would to the head. Less than two hours later, two additional victims were found murdered in Cassia County with gunshot wounds to their heads. A fourth homicide victim was later found (after the arrest and a conversation with Naylor) in a vehicle in Minidoka County, with a gunshot would to the head.

Suspect in Idaho 2-County Homicide Investigation Charged

A few hours after the press release regarding the arrest of Naylor, police shared a document from the prosecutor’s office in each county stating that Naylor had been charged with 4 counts of first-degree murder.

The message also shared details of the arrest, which happened following the traffic stop of a vehicle that fit the description from videos provided, north of Shoshone by a Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy.

Naylor is being held without bond and his initial interview with detectives has been sealed to protect the case.

Preliminary hearings will be held on July 18th in Cassia County and July 23rd in Minidoka County. Nate Eaton and Kaitlyn Hart, from the East Idaho News, detailed the court documents in a social media post and article.

Authorities say there won’t be any additional information regarding the murders or case at this time.