On February 26, 2016, 18-year-old Bailee Ray Southwick was found deceased in a residence at Crooked River Ranch in Jefferson County, Oregon. He was not alone; with him was 21-year-old Mackenzie Noel Lyman, who also lost her life in the tragic event. Both were victims of a double homicide.
Authorities were alerted to the situation after a resident in the area reported hearing gunshots and seeing a vehicle departing from the scene on SW Sand Ridge Road.
When police arrived, they discovered the bodies of Southwick and Lyman. The investigation quickly pointed to a suspect, and a search was initiated for 20-year-old Mitchell Julio Morris.
The day after the discovery of the bodies, law enforcement located Morris in downtown Salem. He was taken into custody without incident and subsequently arrested in connection with the murders of Southwick and Lyman. At the time of the manhunt, police had described Morris as armed and dangerous. An obituary for Mackenzie Lyman poignantly remembers her as having died with her best friend and the love of her life, Bailee Ray Candello-Southwick.
