Former NBA player charged with kidnapping, murder after body found
NBA G-League player Chance Comanche is facing open murder charges.
The 27-year-old was this weekend arrested by FBI agents in connection to the mysterious disappearance of 23-year-old woman Marayna Rodgers, a Washington medical assistant in Las Vegas.
He was booked into the Sacramento County Jail on Saturday (AEDT) and hit with charges of first-degree kidnapping.
Those charges will now be upgraded to murder with Las Vegas Police confirming they have found Rodgers’ body in the Nevada desert.
Comanche and his girlfriend Sakari Harnden are both facing open murder charges.
Rodgers vanished on December 6 when she was on a trip to visit Sin City and got into a car with her friend, Harnden, 19, according to KLAS.
Las Vegas Police have released a statement with details of the allegations against the couple.
“Through the course of the investigation, detectives learned that Rodgers was out with friends on December 5, 2023, and had a pre-arranged meeting with her friend Sakari Harnden (19) who would bring her boyfriend Chance Comanche (27),” the statement read.
“Since then, Rodgers had not been seen or heard from. Early in the investigation, detectives suspected foul play and obtained evidence to arrest Harnden and her boyfriend Comanche for their role in the kidnapping and disappearance of Rodgers.
“On December 13, 2023, Harnden was arrested in Las Vegas by the Criminal Apprehension Team (CAT) and booked into the Clark County Detention Centre for kidnapping.
“On December 15, 2023, Comanche was arrested by the members of the California FBI Criminal Apprehension Team in Sacramento, California, and is pending extradition to Nevada for kidnapping.
“Based on information obtained after the arrest of Harnden and Comanche, detectives were able to recover human remains in a desert area in Henderson, Nevada.
“The remains were later identified by the Clark County Coroner to be of Marayna Rodgers.
“Detectives determined that Harnden and Comanche were responsible for the murder of Rodgers. The charges for both individuals will be amended to open murder through co-ordination with the Clark County District Attorney’s office.”
Comanche played a G-League game in Henderson, Nevada, 15 miles from Las Vegas, the night before Rodgers was last seen and reported missing.
Comanche, who played one NBA game for the Portland Trailblazers, was released from the Stockton Kings, a developmental affiliate of the Sacramento Kings, shortly after his arrest, The New York Post reports.
The Post has reached out to the Kings organisation and the NBA.
Harnden was arrested in Las Vegas on December 13 and booked into the downtown Las Vegas Jail, also on a first-degree kidnapping charge, KLAS reported, citing court records.
Marayna Rodgers was on a trip with friends visiting Las Vegas when she disappeared on Dec. 6. 2023. Marayna Rodgers/FacebookSource: SuppliedRodgers reportedly got into a car with Harnden in Las Vegas on Dec. 6, before she disappeared. Marayna Rodgers/FacebookSource: SuppliedA criminal complaint accused Harnden of “detaining Rogers against her will and without her consent for the purpose of killing her and/or inflicting bodily harm,” according to the outlet.
Harnden was also arrested on a theft charge for allegedly stealing a Rolex.
Rodgers’ family and friends said the disappearance was out of character.
She “had a good job and she would never leave her family back home in Washington state or abandon her dogs she had taken with her to Las Vegas,” loved ones told the outlet.
Comanche was in Portland, Oregon for the Kings’ game against the Rip City Remix on December 7, less than 24 hours removed from Rodgers’ vanishing.
It is not known how long Comanche was in Las Vegas.
Chance Comanche of the Sacramento Kings. Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images.Source: Getty ImagesHarnden remains in jail on a $500,000 bail the next day by Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Diana Sullivan under conditions that included high-level electric monitoring and will appear in court on December 19 for the theft charge, and December 28 for the kidnapping.
Sullivan also requested the “state to notify the Court immediately if the alleged victim is located alive.”
The 2.09m centre was undrafted out of the University of Arizona and appeared in 24 games over the last two seasons with the Kings
In his 13 appearances this season, he played 321 minutes and tallied 182 points, 15 assists and 91 rebounds.
Comanche last appeared in Stockton’s 112-106 loss to Salt Lake City on December 12, scoring 20 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists.
He is ineligible for bail and is scheduled to appear in Sacramento County Court on December 19.
— This story originally appeared on nypost.com and has been republished with permission
