Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald: The Graham County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a “suspicious” death south of Safford.
By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – The Graham County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a “suspicious” death south of Safford that occurred last Thursday night.
Deputies were initially dispatched Thursday, Oct. 28, at about 5:20 p.m. to a residence in the Cactus Flats area regarding an altercation. Upon arrival, a resident was found unresponsive. Life-saving actions were taken but were not successful. The deceased was identified as Kenneth Jay Babcock, 39, of Pima, according to Graham County Sheriff P.J. Allred.
Deputies then placed crime scene tape around the home and have been investigating the death as a possible homicide.
According to preliminary reports, an autopsy performed by the Pima County Office of Medical Examiner revealed the cause of death was strangulation.
Graham County Sheriff P.J. Allred said the incident is still under investigation.
“We’re trying to figure out why all what happened, happened,” Allred said.
According to friends of the deceased, Babcock was living with a married woman and her husband may have been involved in the altercation with Babcock.
The Sheriff’s Office is expected to put out a press release regarding the incident later today.
The Gila Herald will update this article when possible.
