BOISE, Idaho — Shock and devastation — two emotions friends and family of Gerald "Don" Henderson are all too familiar with. Police said Henderson, 72, and James Mauney, 83, died last week, although they did not specify when.
Law enforcement is investigating whether Skylar Meade and Nicholas Umphenour are connected to the men's deaths. The two were arrested on Thursday afternoon in Twin Falls after a 36-hour manhunt. They were on the run after Umphenour allegedly helped Meade break out of Idaho Department of Correction Custody at Saint Alphonsus in Boise.
"The loss is incalculable to me," Henderson's partner Ron Thompson told NBC affiliate KHQ. "I can't believe he's gone. He had such a big heart."
Detectives said Meade and Umphenour drove to northern Idaho after escaping police, where they met Mauney walking his dogs near Juliaetta. The men did not know Mauney but stole his van and took Mauney and his dogs with them.
They later found Mauney's body and the hospital getaway car in a remote area near Leland, police said. Later Wednesday, law enforcement investigated the death of Henderson at his home in a remote area outside Orofino.
Officials said they found Mauney's dogs, unharmed, and Meade's shackles at the house. Detectives think Henderson knew the suspects. Thompson said Umphenour briefly lived with him and Henderson about 10 years ago but asked him to leave because of "frightening" behavioral issues.
Thompson said Umphenour visited Henderson a month ago. It is unclear why Umphenour made the visit and why police believe he went back last week with Meade.
"It was so strange that Nick came up here," he said. "He stayed about an hour. I don't know; it just made me feel really weird."
Kevin Brown, a long-time friend of Henderson, called his death "shocking." He questioned why it took police so long to track the men down.
"Don was just a good human being," he said. "I'm not a big feeling discusser, but it just crescendos down on you. You know, you realize just how much someone meant to you."
As for Mauney, the small Latah County town of Juliaetta continues to honor him. Blackberry Brew and Pub, which he and his wife frequented, is hosting a public forum about community safety at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
A judge set Umphenour and Meade's preliminary hearing for April 8th. The men face numerous charges related to the hospital shooting but, at this time, have not been charged with the homicides.
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