The body of Erin Corwin, who was missing for two months and was the pregnant wife of a Marine, was discovered deep inside a mine shaft located in the desert of California.
A man in Alaska alleged to have been her lover and suspected of homicide, Christopher Brandon Lee, 24, was subsequently arrested, The Associated Press reported.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos told the AP he expected to charge Mr. Lee with murder, but charges have not yet been filed.
Corwin’s body was found by video camera 140 feet deep into a mine shaft that’s located on federal properties nearby her Twentynine Palms’ property, AP reported. Corwin’s husband is stationed at Twentynine Palms, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said, AP reported.
Mr. Lee was Corwin’s recent neighbor in California, police said. One of her friends told investigators that the two were having an affair — and that he might be the father of the unborn child.
Corwin disappeared about two months ago, telling her husband she was going to hike trails in Joshua Tree National Park. But her friend showed detectives text messages that indicated Corwin was actually going to meet up with Mr. Lee for a hunting trip — and that was the day she disappeared, AP reported.
Two days later, detectives found her abandoned car with 10 spent casings from a .40-caliber gun on the seat, AP reported.
“Let’s just wait until the facts come out before jumping to conclusions,” Bob Lee, Christopher’s father, told the AP during a brief interview outside the family’s home in Anchorage.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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