Bodies of missing San Juan Co. men found almost a month after disappearance
SAN JUAN COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — The bodies of William “Drew” Bull, 29, and Christopher “Topher” Owens, 28, have been found after the pair had been missing for nearly a month, according to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office announced in a social media post that the bodies of Drew and Bull were recovered by authorities and have been confirmed deceased. Officials did not disclose where the bodies were found.
The discovery of the bodies comes more than a week after officials charged the pair’s roommate, Charles Youngkuom Yoo, 35, with two counts of aggravated murder and one count of obstruction of justice.
The sheriff’s office said the bodies were taken to the Office of the Medical Examiner and family members have been notified of the deaths.
Officials have said they are not releasing any further information at this time.
What happened to Christopher Owens and William Bull?
On February 25, Owens and Bull were on their way back from Moab, according to a March 8 affidavit for Yoo’s arrest. The pair was seen on video footage at a gas station in Blanding around 11:30 a.m. on February 25.
Owens was said to be “a consistent user of social media,” according to the affidavit, but had reportedly not posted since February 25. His friends reached out to Bull’s wife and friend to raise their concerns, the affidavit states.
Bull also had not contacted anyone since February 25, until a text message was sent from his phone a few days later. Credit card statements obtained by police also show the last activity on Bull’s card being at the gas station on February 25.
Based on cellphone information, both Owens and Bull arrived back at the Blanding residence and their phones were last seen after midnight on February 26. The data shows they did not leave the area, but their phones appeared to have been powered off until the next day.
On February 27, the affidavit says a friend of Bull went to the home Bull and Owens shared with Yoo to speak with Bull about “business dealings.” At the home, the friend encountered Yoo but not Bull or Owens, documents say.
The friend told police Yoo had a large collection of guns and said one was missing. When the friend suggested Yoo report the missing gun, Yoo reportedly said he would want to speak to his attorney first.
On February 27, after 10:40 a.m., Bull’s wife received a text message from Bull’s phone. The friend who was at Yoo’s home told police he was at the home but not with Yoo “consistently at the time that cellular records indicate the text was sent.”
On March 1, Yoo told Bull’s wife he was leaving town. During that time, documents say he turned his location off, but turned his location data back on upon his return.
Police said they conducted an “emergency ping” for both Bull’s and Owens’s cellphones, but only received location data from Bull’s phone about 700 yards from Yoo’s residence. Officials said they checked that area but did not recover a phone or a person.
On March 8, detectives interviewed Yoo and later arrested him. He reportedly confirmed he knew how the text message from February 27 was sent.
Detectives said he was found to be obstructing justice by claiming Bull and Owens left the home in the black Dodge on February 26, the affidavit says.
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