Man Accused Of Hiding Body In Long Beach Arrested

LONG BEACH, CA — A Long Beach man was arrested on suspicion of murder several years after a 32-year-old man's body was found in his backyard, Long Beach Police said Monday. Scott David Leo, 54, is being held on $2 million bail in the Long Beach City Jail.

Zach Kennedy, 32, went missing three years ago after he was invited to Leo's residence on the 500 block of West Eighth Street to participate in "risky sexual acts" while under the influence of drugs. Six months later, police found his body buried in Leo's yard.

Even after unearthing Kennedy, Long Beach Police never arrested Leo, who was accused of inviting Kennedy over and then leaving him to overdose in a bathtub, the Long Beach Post reported.

Leo was arrested at the same residence in Long Beach where Kennedy's body was recovered in 2018.

Kennedy's family has been waiting for this arrest for years, the Long Beach Post reported.

According to court documents, text messages and witnesses, Leo texted a man and said that Kennedy was overdosing on the date rate drug, GHB. A photo where Kennedy appeared to already be dead or unconscious was also texted to the man.

Read the full story from the Long Beach Post: Years after missing man’s body was found buried in his yard, police arrest accused killer