Update (11-14-19 5:08 p.m.) – A grand jury indicted murder suspect Shane Wayman Thursday afternoon. He’s officially facing charges of murder in the second degree and abuse of a corpse.
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Original story: SHADY COVE, Ore.– The remains of a young woman from Shady Cove were found on Tuesday near the Douglas and Jackson County border. The prime suspect is believed to be her roommate.
On Wednesday, the suspect, 21-year-old Shane Ryan Micheal Wayman, was arraigned at the Jackson County Courthouse where he faces a murder charge for 20-year-old Destiny Finch. But while he awaits trial, residents of the small mobile home park where Finch and Wayman lived are deeply troubled by what happened.
Some residents say they remember Finch as a pleasant person. But many are left wondering how it came to this.
To many, the Paradise Mobile Home Community can be described as a quiet, senior community.
But on Tuesday, that wasn’t the case.
“From what I saw everything was going fine and then one morning I get up and we got yellow tape all over the place,” said Dave Morris, a resident.
Police suspect Wayman killed Finch at the mobile home and then tried to dispose of her body. According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, a call originally came in on Monday from a family member of Finch’s who said she was missing. When police arrived at the home Monday evening, they found signs there had been an assault.
“Seemed like real nice folks,” said Morris. “That’s all, we didn’t converse too much but we’d say hi and I’d wave and that was fine.”
Morris has lived in the mobile home community for about 14 years. He’s never seen anything like this.
“This community, this is all senior citizens pretty much and we’ve had years where we’ve lost three to eleven people, age-wise and all,” he said. “Then to have something like this – that’s drastic, that’s not natural. It’s kind of weird.”
The sheriff’s office says Wayman and Finch share the home with two other roommates, including Finch’s fiance. The agency says they’d received reports on that Monday Finch and Wayman had been arguing.
It wasn’t until Tuesday morning though that police found Wayman walking on Highway 62. His car was located at the Prospect ranger station.
That same day around noon was when investigators found Finch’s remains in the woods off Highway 227. According to Finch’s friend Prissilla Greenmyer, Finch was a quiet, kind person but didn’t let people push her around.
“Very artsy little abilities. She would give you the shirt off her back,” said Greenmyer. “She didn’t care about material things or anything, she just wanted to have friends that actually cared about her.”
Though four roommates live in the home, police say only Finch and Wayman were there when the alleged assault occurred. According to friends, the couple had evicted Wayman that Monday.
Investigators are still piecing together how this all happened. But for Finch’s friends, her loss weighs heavy, especially for her fiance.
“It’s something that will be really, really hard for him to overcome,” said Greenmyer. “But I think what he needs is people to be there for him.
A memorial fund has been set up for Finch. You can donate to the GoFundMe here.
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A man was arrested for allegedly killing his roommate in Shady Cove.
Investigators said 21-year-old Shane Ryan Micheal Wayman lived with three roommates on Brophy Way, 20-year-old Destiny Anne Finch, her fiancé and another man
On November 11, Wayman and Finch reportedly had an argument. Later that day, one of Finch’s family members reported her missing. When law enforcement arrived at the home on Brophy Way, Finch and Wayman weren’t home. However, there was evidence that an assault occurred there.
Later that evening, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office to activate their Major Assault and Death Investigation Unit.
On the morning of November 12, police found Wayman walking along Highway 62 north of Shady Cove. He was detained without incident
Just before noon the same day Wayman was found, detectives found Finch’s remains in a wooded area near Highway 227 in Douglas County just north of the border with Josephine County.
JCSO said Wayman was lodged in the Jackson County Jail and charged with murder, assault, abuse of a corpse, and unlawful use of a weapon.
An autopsy is planned for November 13 to determine the cause and manner of Finch’s death.
The sheriff’s office said they’re looking for any video footage that people may have captured in the following areas: Highway 62 from mile marker 18 to Highway 230; Highway 227 between Highway 62 and the Douglas County line; Highway 230 between Highway 62 and Highway 138.
Anyone with footage or further information is asked to call JSCO at 541-770-8333 and refer to case number 19-23784.
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