Bodies recovered in double homicide case

by David Boyle
News Director
After missing for nearly a month the bodies of two Blanding men have been recovered by law enforcement, and the men’s roommate has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder.
San Juan County Sheriff’s Department reported on March 22 that the bodies of Blanding residents William Drew Bull, age 29, and Christopher Alan Owens, age 28, have been recovered by law enforcement and confirmed deceased.
The Sheriff’s department shares the bodies have been taken by authorities to the Office of the Medical Examiner for examination and investigation.
The Sheriff’s department also reports the investigation is active and ongoing with numerous allied agencies involved.
The two men were last seen alive on February 25, 2024 and were listed as missing on February 27. The men’s roommate Charles Yoo, age 35, was arrested on March 8 after serving a search warrant on the home the three men lived in. Yoo has since been charged with two counts of criminal homicide aggravated murder, first-degree felonies, and one count of obstructing justice a second-degree felony.
According to information in the probable cause statement for Yoo’s arrest, Bull and Owens were last seen at the Maverik in Blanding on February 25 just before noon, as confirmed by video.
According to bank statements, neither men made any financial transactions since that time and according to cell phone data, the two men’s phones were in the area of the shared residence that day.
Bull was known to share his Google location with his significant other and be responsive to texts and calls.
Owens was also known to also be responsive to texts and calls and post frequently on social media.
Bull stopped sharing his location data that evening, and neither men responded to communications that evening. The phones were turned off later after midnight that night.
In a conversation with law enforcement, Yoo claimed to have last seen the men mid-morning the next day, February 26, saying they left in a black Dodge that morning and he had not seen them since.
A video canvas conducted by law enforcement of the area did not show any black Dodge vehicles coming or going from the area on February 26.
According to the probable cause statement, on the morning of February 27, a friend of the two men went to their residence to speak with Bull about some business dealings, but he found that Bull or Owens were not at the residence.
Yoo claimed that one of his guns, part of a large collection, had gone missing. Yoo told the man he wanted to speak to his attorney before he reported the missing gun to officers.
Shortly after the visit, cell phone data shows the two men’s phones were briefly turned on near the residence, with one text message sent from Bull’s phone to his significant other.
The text may be suspicious since it was sent just after the man had spoken with Yoo, the text also referenced, but misspelled, Bull’s ex-wife, police confirmed Bull had not been in contact with the woman for over three-years. The text also referenced that Owens may not be alive.
Also on February 27, Yoo, a former military veteran, suggested the men tactically clear the residence for any possible threats before letting other people enter the home.
After clearing the home, the friend noticed a door that had not been checked and was locked from the inside.
Yoo said he had not checked the room and it must have been locked on the way out, after the friend tried to gain entry to the room, Yoo claimed he had cleared the room and was adamant there was no reason to enter the room.
According to the probable cause statement, Yoo told officers that the men had left on February 26 in a black Dodge but was unable to provide a further description of the vehicle.
The statement said Yoo “did not provide any further descriptions on the vehicle such as to whether it was a truck, car, SUV or anything else that would have been apparent to someone with basic knowledge of a vehicle. Charles (Yoo) has substantial knowledge about vehicles and his main occupation is a vehicle mechanic.”
Yoo told others he’d be leaving town on March 1. They had all shared their Google locations previously, but Yoo turned his location data off when he left on March 1 and turned it back on after he returned.
According to the probable cause statement, “Detectives obtained information through investigative means that provided several locations Charles (Yoo) had traveled. Charles (Yoo) was interviewed by detectives regarding the trip and failed to provide the correct information as to where detectives already knew he had traveled.”
The statement also shared that detectives conducted an interview with Yoo after having his Miranda rights read to him.
“Charles (Yoo) was asked about the text message and about where it was sent. Charles (Yoo) nodded his head in the affirmative after detectives told him that the text was sent from his residence, and also nodded his head in the affirmative when he was asked if he knew how the text was sent.
“Charles has been obstructing the investigation by claiming Owens and Bull left in a black Dodge on February 26.
“Charles was found to be the only person at the residence on February 27 when the text message was sent. Charles (Yoo) also provided confirmation the text was sent from the residence, and he knew how it was sent.”
Yoo is being held without bail.
Anyone with information or who has seen anything suspicious that could be related to this investigation is asked to call the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office at 435-587-2237.