Deputies arrest fugitive in connection with disappearance of Kent man

KITTITAS COUNTY, Wash. — A man suspected in the disappearance of a Kent man, Ian Eckles, has been arrested.

Deputies with the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office said 34-year-old Jorge O. Alcantara-Gonzalez was taken into custody about 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Eckles, 41, was last seen in Kent on May 16. Deputies said cellphone records showed him in Kent at about 4 p.m. that day but there was no data after that.

Eckles was headed to Cle Elum to meet with friends in the Liberty area to go hunting when he disappeared, according to deputies.

He disappeared on or around May 17.

A Teanaway area resident was walking in his neighborhood when he saw someone, who appeared to look like Alcantara-Gonzalez, in a neighbor’s house and called 911, deputies said.

Deputies, U.S. Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife officers responded and surrounded the home and called for Alcantara-Gonzalez to come out, officials said. He complied.

He was taken into custody for investigation of homicide and other crimes, which include multiple burglaries, thefts and possession of stolen vehicles, authorities said.

Sheriff Clay Myers said, “The arrest of Jorge Alcantara concludes an uncertain and dangerous time for our county, especially for residents of the affected area. We are deeply grateful for the assistance of the residents of the Liberty and Teanaway areas, who have been constantly supportive throughout this time. We can now turn our attention to the successful prosecution of the crimes this suspect has committed and, most urgently, to finding and recovering the body of Ian Eckles and giving his family peace.”

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