Arrest Made In Cedar Falls Deer Hunter's Death

DES MOINES, IA — A Promise City man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Cedar Falls hunter Curtis Ross, whose body was found in a remote area near Lake Rathbun on Nov. 24. Officials announced following the arrest that Ross had been stabbed and shot several times.

Authorities say they don't believe there was a connection between Ross, 31, and Ethan Landon Davis, 27, who was arrested after evidence discovered during the investigation led to his identification. Davis was taken into custody in the Wayne County Jail in Corydon, where he was being held on unrelated charges.

Authorities said evidence uncovered include ammunition magazines and ammunition, and several spent rifle casings near the area where Ross was located. Some of the items yielded fingerprints that were identified as belonging to Davis. A search warrant led officials to a vehicle, owned by Davis, that they said someone attempted to conceal roughly a mile north of his residence. Several areas inside the vehicle tested positive for blood.

>>Earlier: Cedar Falls Hunter's Death: Authorities Believe Threat Has Subsided

Officials also found a rifle concealed under farm equipment on a remote area of the Davis property. Davis' fingerprints were identified on the rifle, along with traces of blood, and a DCI criminalist firearms expert matched the casings fired from the rifle to the casings that were found near where Ross' body was located.

Ross traveled to Appanoose County on Nov. 23 to hunt and retrieve hunting equipment he had previously set out, officials said. He was reported missing early Nov. 25 when he failed to return to the location he was staying. His pickup truck was later located in a remote part of Appanoose County near the entrance to the Rathbun Lake public hunting ground.

Items of evidentiary value are still being processed at the DCI Criminalistics laboratory. Law enforcement officers also continue to ask anyone hunting in the area for assistance. If anyone finds anything that appears to be out of place, they are asked to leave the items undisturbed and contact the Appanoose County Law Enforcement Center at 641-437-7100

Davis remains in jail on a $1 million, cash only bond.

Photo via Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation