On October 8th at 5:39 p.m., the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office responded to a missing person report in the Jacob Lake area. The caller said her husband and his friend were camping in the Jacob Lake area and had not heard from her husband in several days.

Page Substation Deputies responded to the scene and located the campground. The missing person has been identified as Russell Vinton, a 66-year-old man from Prescott, Arizona. Although Vinton’s truck and camper were not at the campsite, other items found at the scene were suspicious in nature and caused deputies to fear for Vinton’s welfare. The investigation continued that night and into the next day.

At approximately 11 a.m. on October 9, CCSO was notified that the Lake Havasu Police Department had located Vinton’s truck in an area known as Craggy Wash outside of Lake Havasu, Arizona. Upon making contact with the subject, Lake Havasu Police Detectives received shots fired by the resident. The detectives returned fire and attacked the subject. The subject was confirmed dead at the scene. The detectives suffered minor injuries but were later released from the hospital.

The deceased subject was identified as Patrick Neal Champion, a 61-year-old from Tennessee. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office continues to search Vinton, the camper trailer and other evidence in the case. CCSO detectives are working with detectives from Lake Havasu Police Department and Bullhead City Police Department to investigate the circumstances that led to this incident.

The camper trailer is described as a white 2017 travel trailer with Arizona license plate 5LA50N. The license plate may or may not still be attached to the trailer.

CCSO is asking for the public’s help in locating the camper trailer and Vinton. If you have the location of the camper trailer or any other information regarding this incident, please contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at 928-774-4523 or Coconino County Silent Witness at 928-774-6111.