GUILTY NM - Sasha Marie Krause, 27, murdered, Farmington, 18 Jan 2020 *arrests*

[Rosiebones]

It's possible they caught his vehicle on video around the Mennonite community and figured out he was the owner. They may have seen something suspicious enough on video, or found some other probable cause with him that would allow them to obtain a court order for the geo data from his cell phone or vehicle. That and/or other surveillance footage could've allowed them to retrace his movements.

I wonder what initially brought him to their attention. Was it just that his car had been spotted on surveillance near the compound?

It is possible that he drove his vehicle on Luke Air Force Base and there was an identification sticker on the windshield.

 

[lucidtx]

It is possible that he drove his vehicle on Luke Air Force Base and there was an identification sticker on the windshield.

I'm sure he did. It'd probably be impossible to make out details like the name of the base on surveillance footage, but it may have tipped them off to him being in the military. A license plate number would give them the registered owner's name and address.

If he lived on base they're going to have records of his comings and goings including quality surveillance at the gate. They could use that info to verify a timeline of what happened in support of the case.

 

[Rosiebones]

That bag of empty bag of beer bottles has more significance now. If he was off base for the weekend, he could have just been sitting around on the steps with some friends drinking beer and killing time. A crime of opportunity.

 

[Alethea]

The arrest affidavit lists his address as a home in Gleason, WI. If you google that address the owner has the same last name as him.

ETA: This article has the affidavit Luke Air Force Base airman arrested in New Mexico woman's murder

 

[momsof3]

The arrest affidavit lists his address as a home in Gleason, WI. If you google that address the owner has the same last name as him.

ETA: This article has the affidavit Luke Air Force Base airman arrested in New Mexico woman's murder

Nice find! This may be grasping at straws but there is a large Mennonite store in Gleason WI called Prairie Pines Bulk Foods. No website I could find but lots of google reviews.

That bag of empty bag of beer bottles has more significance now. If he was off base for the weekend, he could have just been sitting around on the steps with some friends drinking beer and killing time. A crime of opportunity.

Where did you see this? This does seem like it could be relevant. Especially since LE stated that they could not rule out that others were involved (I really hated reading that).

ETA - there is a Mennonite community where he is from - Gleason Mennonite Church - that’s big a coincidence.
Gleason Mennonite Church | Pilgrim Ministry

 

[AmandaSkis]

Police are not ruling out multiple suspects.

Luke Air Force Base airman arrested in New Mexico woman's murder

 

[Skillz]

The arrest affidavit lists his address as a home in Gleason, WI. If you google that address the owner has the same last name as him.

ETA: This article has the affidavit Luke Air Force Base airman arrested in New Mexico woman's murder

Thank you!

 

[MontereyMama]

Snipped. I'm guessing they did find her head covering and underwear in his possession. He may have taken them as "trophies." Two of her most personal and symbolic possessions. I wouldn't be surprised if the motivation was sexual and she was targeted due to her religious lifestyle for perverse reasons. So sad. The Mennonites in my area have always been very kind to me.

I believe it is very likely that he had at least some knowledge of the Mennonite faith, possibly had once been in the faith and had rejected it. But WHY did he do this???? Too much hooch and some kind of stupid show-off game to impress friends?
It makes me sick to think of her suffering.

 

[GordianKnot]

Air Force Member Allegedly Killed Sunday School Teacher Who Vanished from Mennonite Community

SABBM:

Authorities are still trying to determine a motive.

The case is puzzling to detectives because Krause lived in a very “secluded community,” Ferrari told Fox 10 Phoenix.

“They have a business, they live onsite, and we never respond there very often for anything, so it struck us as very odd that we had someone missing, especially because you see them out in a group and having someone gone was very strange to us,” Ferrari told the news outlet.

“We don’t know that he was going there necessarily to seek her out,” Coconino County sheriff’s Lt. Brian Tozer told Stars and Stripes. “We just know he was there in Farmington.”

 

[GordianKnot]

The arrest affidavit lists his address as a home in Gleason, WI. If you google that address the owner has the same last name as him.

ETA: This article has the affidavit Luke Air Force Base airman arrested in New Mexico woman's murder

Thanks for linking to that arrest affidavit, Alethea!

Noting that it indicates a firearm was used.

Sadly, he must have shot her.

Monster.

JMO.

 

[borndem]

Just saw this -- This one does include a mugshot within the article...

Air Force Member Allegedly Killed Sunday School Teacher Who Vanished from Mennonite Community

Air Force airman Mark Gooch has been arrested in connection with the murder of Sasha Krause, who vanished from her secluded community in January

By KC Baker
April 22, 2020 12:51 PM
An Air Force airman has been arrested and charged in connection with the murder of a Mennonite Sunday school teacher whose body was found two months ago in a wooded area of Arizona, hundreds of miles away from her home.
[...]

Gooch faces charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and theft, according to military officials, Stars and Stripes reports.


Authorities are relieved they have arrested a suspect in the case.


RELATED: Woman Who Went Missing from Secluded Mennonite Community Found Dead Hundreds of Miles Away

More here:
Air Force Member Allegedly Killed Sunday School Teacher Who Vanished from Mennonite Community

 

[borndem]

Much belated, but I'm just now joining this thread, but here's this:

Welcome to Websleuths,
Redlight !!​

 

[borndem]

Wow! So glad there was a lot going on in the background investigating this one!

I have been watching NCIS with my son during the pandemic. Makes me want to see Gibbs smack someone.

Same here! (I miss my Ziva!)

Did he just happen to see her walking and grabbed her and put her in his vehicle? Did he have a weapon and threatened and robbed her at the store? SMH.
What a horror for someone who has probably never seen violence in her life.
Lowlife -- so glad there has been an arrest.

 

[NoSI]

Thanks for linking to that arrest affidavit, Alethea!

Noting that it indicates a firearm was used.

Sadly, he must have shot her.

Monster.

JMO.

I agree. Did he maybe try to burglarize the church and she walked in on him (or them)? I just came across this case today, so know very little.

@GordianKnot...Thank you so much for that idea on topic. I like it a lot and really appreciate it. Starting to research now ...

 

[borndem]

That bag of empty bag of beer bottles has more significance now. If he was off base for the weekend, he could have just been sitting around on the steps with some friends drinking beer and killing time. A crime of opportunity.

ITA. Random opportunity. That's my theory as well -- another one of those (and I hate this phrase, but...) "wrong place, wrong time" type things. Was it a robbery, or did he just start following her and grabbed her? A little bit tipsy and feeling indestructible and super-masculine, perhaps? SMH.
This one really gets me.

 

[bellyup]

This wasn’t a random opportunity IMO.
Mark Gooch grew up Mennonite according to church directories and print news articles in the community.

Mark Gooch once listed Grandview TX as an address according to online searches. Grandview Mennonite church is where Sashas father is minister.

Could be coincidence but there are more connections (that can’t be discussed here) that IMO say it’s not. I think it’s entirely possible that someone at Sashas church knew his family, they went to Bible school together or someone at Farmington knew Mark Gooch. Or maybe all three?

IMO the fact that he had her underwear and head covering is very significant. I don’t believe for a moment that he drove from AZ to Farmington to commit an opportunistic crime.

 

[bellyup]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/taskandpurpose.com/.amp/news/airman-arrested-homicide-new-mexico

”There were rumors of Krause interrupting a burglary in progress, but investigators said there was no evidence of a burglary.“

 

[bellyup]

The arrest affidavit lists his address as a home in Gleason, WI.

These are the kind of breadcrumbs that lead somewhere.

This case really isn’t a huge “mystery” IMO it’s just so much of it was a 1950s style investigation (to steal Sheriff Ferrari’s words) that the majority of information that ties it all up can’t be posted on Websleuths for lack of links.

Hopefully more will be coming out now that there’s been an arrest.

 

[DBLG]

After thinking about this, I also think this was not "random." The connection to the "M" community is just too close. "One woman told police that she noticed a white SUV, minivan or pickup truck, at the back of the church at around 8pm" (See attached link). Not sure if it was outside the actual church or the book store where SK worked.

Let's look at the date this happened. January 18th. That was MLK weekend so MG probably had a long weekend off and drove up to Farmington. It would have been cold up in NM at that time and it gets dark early so even if he was in the car, it would have been difficult for anyone to see who (if anyone) was sitting in the car. I looked up the weather for that day in Farmington and the high was 41 degrees F and the low was 16 degrees F so it was pretty cold. I looked on google maps for this location and it is not well lit and really isolated.

IMO, MG would definitely had to stop for gas and restroom breaks along the way (either going up there or coming back). I wonder if he was picked up by cameras at any gas stations or traffic cameras closer to Coconino County.

There was a lot of coordination between the San Juan and Coconino Counties, the FBI and Luke AF Base. I am wondering how they were able to put all the facts together to make the arrest.

A missing Mennonite woman from New Mexico was found dead 250 miles away - KVIA

 

[Owutatangledweb]

Or even if he wasn't raised Mennonite and didn't know her at all, he may have been familiar with any Mennonite community he grew up near. Maybe he developed a sick fascination or grudge.

There is an older MG with an address at an airforce base in New Mexico six hours from Farmington. Don't know if MG is related to the older MG. Same middle name though, per the arrest warrant.

Edit. Spelling.