In the late summer of 2022, the disappearance of 42-year-old Joshua William-James Blake from his Golden Valley, Arizona home would unravel a grim tale of betrayal and violence. Blake, a man described by his loved ones as a hardworking father dedicated to providing for his children, was last seen and heard from around August 3, 2022. Concern for his well-being grew, and on August 31, his family officially reported him missing.
The investigation into Blake's disappearance soon focused on his tenant, 31-year-old Michael Blaine Turner Jr., who had been living in Blake's residence. Detectives discovered that in the days leading up to Blake's disappearance, a heated argument had erupted between the two over unpaid rent and the possibility of eviction. The tension was further compounded by a prior incident on June 8, 2022, where Blake had allegedly taken the blame for a shooting committed by Turner. Blake had reportedly threatened to expose Turner as the actual shooter to the police.
Following Blake's disappearance, Turner's actions raised further suspicion. He attempted to fraudulently take possession of Blake's home by trying to have a bill of sale notarized. Furthermore, he was found in possession of a vehicle known to be driven by Blake. On September 1, 2022, Turner was arrested while driving this vehicle and was found to be in illegal possession of a firearm and narcotics. He was subsequently booked into the Mohave County Adult Detention Facility on these unrelated charges.
The investigation took a significant turn when Mohave County Sheriff's Office Detectives identified a second suspect, 26-year-old Hunter McGuire of Golden Valley. The investigation suggested that both Turner and McGuire had allegedly shot and killed Blake. They were then believed to have buried his body on an abandoned property near McGuire's residence. The grim discovery was made on October 27, 2022, when detectives, acting on a search warrant, located human remains buried approximately three feet deep in the Golden Valley area. The remains were positively identified as Joshua Blake. The state of the body was consistent with the timeline of his disappearance.
On October 28, 2022, while already in custody, Michael Blaine Turner Jr. was charged with the murder of Joshua Blake. The second suspect, Hunter McGuire, would not face justice in a courtroom. On October 21, 2022, after being identified as a suspect in multiple homicides in both Kingman and Las Vegas, McGuire led law enforcement on a pursuit which ended with him taking his own life.
