Edwin Albert "Ed" Loder was a talented and generous man, well-respected in the Ronan, Montana, community where he had lived since 1969. A 67-year-old White male, he graduated from Ronan High School in 1975 and for 42 years owned and operated Collision Service, an auto body shop near his family home. Friends and family remembered him as a helper who was always giving of his time and expected nothing in return.
Concerns for Ed’s welfare arose after he was last seen on August 30, 2024.
When family and neighbors were unable to reach him over the Labor Day weekend, a neighbor checked his home and found the TV on and his cat inside. He was officially reported missing on September 4. The circumstances were immediately deemed suspicious by the Lake County Sheriff's Office, as evidence discovered near his home on Timberlane Road suggested a violent encounter. Investigators found a blood trail, at least five 9mm bullet casings, and a pair of bloody eyeglasses in a nearby ditch.
An extensive, around-the-clock investigation quickly led authorities to a possible financial motive. Loder had recently been named the primary beneficiary of a significant land inheritance valued in the millions of dollars, a decision that had reportedly slighted another man. Using surveillance and camera footage, investigators identified a red Chevy pickup truck and traced it to 70-year-old James Phillip Lawrence of Polson.
After being taken into custody, Lawrence cooperated with the investigation. On September 6, 2024, he led authorities to Loder's body in the Twin Lakes/Jocko Canyon area, southeast of St. Ignatius. During an interview with investigators after being read his Miranda rights, Lawrence reportedly confessed, stating, "I'm toast anyways I guess, so, yeah I did it." He allegedly admitted to shooting Loder with a 9mm handgun. Loder's body was transported to the Montana State Crime Lab for an autopsy.
The Lake County Attorney's Office filed charges against Lawrence for deliberate homicide, alleging he shot and killed Loder on or about August 31, 2024, and for tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. Although Lawrence maintained he acted alone, investigators noted that surveillance footage appeared to show the shadow of a passenger in his truck.
The investigation continued, and in May 2025, a second suspect was arrested. Jonathan Michael Drennan-Beck, a 30-year-old from St. Ignatius, was taken into custody and charged with felony conspiracy to commit deliberate homicide and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. The case is proceeding through the court system as of May 2025.
