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Murder and kidnapping charges will move forward against three Utahns after the disappearance and death of Washington County resident David Heisler, whose remains were discovered in a remote Arizona wilderness area last summer.
The Mohave County, Ariz., Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that a grand jury has indicted Francis McCard, 56, Kelley Perry, 32, and Tammy Freeman, 54, for first-degree felony murder and kidnapping in the case.
David Heisler's mother is grateful to see the charges come through, she said Wednesday.
"It was exactly what we were hoping for," Debbie Heisler said in a telephone interview. "We've been waiting a long time."
David Heisler, 30, disappeared from his Santa Clara home June 27, allegedly after being kidnapped by the trio over a child custody dispute. A Bureau of Land Management geologist came across his remains in Arizona's Mount Trumbull Wilderness area about two months later.
McCard, Perry and Freeman already faced lesser charges related to the case in Utah, where they are being held at the Washington County jail. The pending Utah charges include first-degree felony counts of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated burglary, as well as second-degree felony car theft.
The Mohave County Attorney's Office has refused to comment or provide information on its case.
But it made sense for Mohave County prosecutors to pursue murder charges, Deputy Washington County Attorney Zachary Weiland said last week, considering that that's where David Heisler's body was discovered.
The U.S. Justice Department also may get involved. A spokeswoman said last week that federal prosecutors were "still looking at options."
Two weeks before he disappeared, David Heisler was awarded sole custody of his and Perry's daughter, now 7. McCard later told Perry, "I will fix this," according to court records.
On June 27, charging documents state, McCard and Perry showed up at David Heisler's home, kidnapped him in his car and drove him to a location near the Utah-Arizona border.
Freeman later picked up Perry, documents said, and McCard departed in the car with David Heisler.
Perry and Freeman later picked up McCard in Beaver Dam, Ariz. — the same place David Heisler's car would be discovered. Police found blood on the exterior and bullet casing inside, according to charging documents.
bbie Heisler recalled her son as a "fun-loving young man" with a great sense of humor. David Heisler would "bend over backwards" to help out his friends, she said.
Debbie Heisler said she thinks Perry, the mother of David Heisler's daughter, played her son "like a fiddle," leading him to believe he could trust her until the end.
"We just want everybody to know his big heart is what got him killed in the end," Debbie Heisler said. "He would do anything — and they used that against him."
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