UPDATE: This story has been updated as of 4 p.m. on Friday, December 2, 2022.
Authorities confirmed on Friday the identity of a body found in Williamson County Thursday morning is that of missing North Austin man Justin Haden. The 34-year-old was last seen Halloween night at The Domain.
Austin Police confirmed the identity from fingerprints obtained from the autopsy. The Travis County Medical Examiner's Office has yet to determine the cause of death.
The Williamson County Sheriff's Office also assisted in the body's discovery.
Haden's body was found near Ronald Reagan and Interstate 35 in Jarrell. Authorities aren't saying exactly where he was located or how he was discovered. Dr. Casey Heath, a criminal justice professor and a former police officer, is reacting to what he’s learned about the case.
“To me, it sounds like a domestic dispute occurred. I don’t know if they had a previous relationship with each other as far as acquaintances,” said Casey.
An affidavit says Haden’s family called APD for a welfare check after not hearing from him. An arrest warrant states that once officers got inside the apartment, they found no one. But they did note seeing what they thought were red wine stains on the wall next to the bed.
The warrant says days later a private investigator saw the same stains which he believed to be blood. Officers returned and confirmed the blood to be human and suspected Justin to be dead.
“It's possible that when making an entry into that place, depending on the light available, it could have easily been overlooked,” Casey said.
The investigation led police to 26-year-old Gavin Roberts who is seen on surveillance video with Haden. Roberts is also seen leaving Justin’s apartment with a large tote bag that police believe contained Justin’s body.
The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Roberts in Thornton, Colorado and he’s awaiting extradition to Austin.
Roberts is charged with tampering with physical evidence of a human corpse.
It’s not clear when Roberts will return to Austin or if he’ll face additional charges. The case remains under investigation.
“From the circumstances that I've read, I don't want to speak for the district attorney or investigating officers but from my standpoint, I would presume that there would probably be charges coming shortly,” said Dr. Heath.