CCSO Arrests Two Men for 1986 Murder at Jacobs Creek Park
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Comal County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) Monday said two suspects are in custody, each charged with one count of murder in the death of Charles Robert Hardin, whose body was discovered on Aug. 26, 1986, at a camping location in Jacob’s Creek Park.
Fifty-six-year-old Tracey Keith Loy, 57, of St. George, Utah and 57-year-old Mark Gatten of Quaker City, Ohio were arrested in connection with the murder. Loy was extradited to Texas and is currently being held in Comal County jail. Gatten is awaiting extradition to Texas.
An autopsy conducted in 1986 ruled Hardin’s death a homicide.
However, the murder remained unsolved for 35 years until March, when CCSO asked Texas Rangers to review the cold case, CCSO said on Facebook. Evidence from the crime scene was resubmitted to DPS Crime Laboratory in Austin for additional investigation.
On May 9, Texas Ranger Joshua Ray located and interviewed Loy in St. George. An arrest warrant was obtained and he was extradited to Texas on May 31. On May 26, Ray obtained an arrest warrant for Gatten, who was arrested and now awaits extradition to Texas.
Also involved in CCSO’s investigation are the St. George Police Department, Utah State Bureau of Investigation, Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
