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Missing Oregon Mom's Blood Turned Up On A Circular Saw Used By Her Estranged Husband, Leading To Murder Charge, Police Say
Tiffany Marie Lazon was last seen shortly after Christmas, but authorities say the case quickly morphed from a missing persons probe to a death investigation, with her husband Craig Lazon identified as the prime suspect.
DNA allegedly found on a circular saw has led to the arrest of an Oregon man for the murder of his missing estranged wife.
Craig Lazon, 42, was arrested Tuesday for the alleged killing of Tiffany Marie Lazon, 37, of Albany, KATU2 reports. Craig was already in jail on a second-degree animal neglect and animal abandonment charge when he was arrested; he'd been in custody on those charges since Jan 14. The animal neglect charge is connected to Tiffany’s pet cat, the Albany Police Department said in a Facebook post. That cat has since been released to Tiffany’s daughter.
Tiffany’s family last heard from her shortly after Christmas; she was reported missing earlier this month, KGW8 in Portland reports. She had vanished without her phone, car and cat, and her family told authorities that’s not something she would have done, police said.
By Jan. 16, police announced that Tiffany’s disappearance had been classified as a death investigation.
“Craig Lazon is a person of interest in this investigation and was the last and closest person with Tiffany prior to her disappearance,” they announced at the time.
Now, he’s gone from a person of interest to a murder suspect.
While investigating, detectives allegedly discovered that Craig borrowed a battery-operated circular saw from a friend, which he returned a few days later, according to an Albany Police Department press release provided to Oxygen.com. That friend handed the tool over to the police department and the Oregon State Crime Lab alleges they found “bodily tissue and blood” on it that matches Tiffany’s DNA, according to police.
Police haven't located any remains in the case, but they believe Tiffany is dead.
“Numerous search warrants have been served during the past 5 days providing further evidence and support that Tiffany Lazon is deceased,” police said in that press release, which was issued Tuesday.
Craig has additionally been charged with possession of meth, according to online jail records. It’s not clear if he has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf. He’s being held on no bail for the murder charge.
This isn’t the first time Craig has been accused of violence against his wife. He was arrested in 2015 and charged with attempted murder, fourth-degree assault, strangulation, two counts of second-degree assault, first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and first-degree kidnapping for an alleged attack on Tiffany, according to KATU2. Charges were dismissed after a judge determined Tiffany was not a credible witness.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to call Albany Police Detectives at 541-917-7686.
