Debra Lynn Childers, a 64-year-old woman, was found deceased in Kingman, Arizona, after being reported missing by her out-of-state son on May 12, 2021. The son had not heard from his mother, who had been living out of her car in the Kingman area, for several months. This initiated an investigation by the Mohave County Sheriff's Office.
The investigation soon uncovered suspicious activity on Childers' bank account, with a man making withdrawals for several months.
This man was also seen driving her vehicle. These findings raised significant concerns for her well-being. Kingman Police Department detectives took over the investigation into the financial activities and identified the man as 35-year-old Brett Daniel Puett.
Investigators located two storage units belonging to Childers and executed search warrants on May 28, 2021. Inside one of the units, they made a grim discovery: a body, believed to be that of Debra Lynn Childers, concealed within a large duffel bag. It appeared the body had been in the storage unit for several months.
Further investigation revealed that Puett and Childers had met in the summer of 2020, while both were living out of their vehicles. Authorities believe their relationship was platonic. It is alleged that in November 2020, while sharing a motel room in Kingman, Puett shot and killed Childers.
Following the discovery of the body, Brett Daniel Puett was arrested. During questioning, he reportedly admitted to his involvement in the killing, as well as to transporting and concealing her body and making the subsequent withdrawals from her bank account. Puett was charged with second-degree murder, abandonment and concealment of a dead body, and fraudulent schemes.
