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Suspect arrested in murder of former Holland woman in California

Posted at 6:50 AM, Apr 26, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-26 06:50:14-04

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KTLA/FOX17)– A man has been arrested and charged in connection with the killings of two people in a Newport Beach home over the weekend, one of whom has ties to West Michigan.

Jamon Rayon Buggs, 44, was arrested on suspicion of killing Darren Partch, 38, and Wendi Miller, 48, according to the Newport Beach Police Department. Miller is a former Holland resident who was wanted for parental kidnapping back in 2011.

The pair were found dead by Partch’s roommate in an apartment along the 2100 Block of East 15th Street about 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

Miller, of Costa Mesa, was described as a well-liked mother of two from Costa Mesa who ran a nonprofit that worked to help children within the family court system. Partch was a hockey player turned account executive.

The pair were last seen near the Sandpiper Bar in Laguna Beach around 1:45 a.m. Saturday, according to friends.

Miller planned to give Partch a ride home since the two lived just a few blocks away from each other, and when she didn’t come home, her family started circulating a missing person post on social media and contacting news outlets.

Their exact cause of death has not been released, but investigators said they found no signs of forced entry at the apartment.

Buggs was arrested Monday in connection with a series of attempted burglaries that also occurred over the weekend in Irvine.

He is being held on $1,000,000 bail pending double murder charges, expected to be filed Friday, Newport Beach police said.