Update Per Nevada County Sheriff's Office 8/1/23: As a follow up to this ongoing investigation, the deceased is identified as 61-year-old Daniel Joseph Leidel of Nevada City.

San Juan Ridge Homicide Investigation 

August 1,  2023 - Nevada City, CA – Nevada County Sheriff's Office officials report that a 72-year-old North San Juan man, identified as Anthony Eric Stewart, was arrested for Murder by Nevada County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) Major Crimes Unit (MCU) detectives on Sunday afternoon July 30, 2023, following a homicide investigation over the weekend.

NCSO received a call on Saturday, July 29, 2023, at 11:24 p.m. from a passing driver, reporting what they believed was a deceased man outside a vehicle on the side of the road at Tyler Foote Crossing Road and Black Sands Mine Road in Nevada City. Deputies responded and located a 61-year-old Nevada City man dead at the scene. The release of his identification remains pending death notification to his next of kin. The vehicle at the scene was determined to be the victim’s and showed signs of damage to the exterior of the vehicle.

Detectives responded to the scene to investigate the suspicious death and determined a homicide had occurred. After further investigation, Stewart was identified as a suspect. He was arrested Sunday and booked into the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility for Murder, where he remains in custody without bail on Monday morning, July 31, 2023.

Determination of the victim’s cause of death is pending an autopsy. The investigation remains active and ongoing. Investigators urge any potential witnesses that may have further information to contact them at 530-265-7880 or by using our anonymous tipline email on our website at https://www.nevadacountyca.gov/192/Sheriffs-Crime-Tip-Form.

Source & photo: Nevada County Sheriff's Office