Deputies arrested two suspects wanted for numerous charges in Mississippi, as well as their alleged connection to a homicide investigation in Colorado. Johnny Morris and Hailey Cole were taken into custody Monday in Pearl River County in southern Mississippi, about 75 miles north of New Orleans.

They are considered persons of interest in the Colorado investigation.

That investigation began on Dec. 19 when deputies responded to a home in the 1800 block of Pima Drive in unincorporated El Paso County. That’s where deputies said they found large quantities of blood in several locations.

On Dec. 23, authorities asked for help from the public to locate a black Audi A4 linked to the case. The next day, Park County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a welfare check near Hartsel, Colorado, where they found the Audi at a trailhead. Investigators tied the vehicle to the missing person case in El Paso County. Authorities said 37-year-old Stephen Walker is missing under “suspicious circumstances.” He is described as 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, with tan skin, black hair, brown eyes, and tattoos on his right arm.

At a nearby residence, deputies discovered a deceased adult male, later identified as Tim Huston, 65. Due to the severity of the case, the Park County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. 

On Dec. 28, authorities in Mississippi located a blue 1994 Ford F-150 with Colorado license plate TQQ039 with a “HUNTER” sticker on the left fender believed to be connected to the homicide in Park County. That vehicle had been the focus of a multi-state search, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.  

In Mississippi early Monday morning, a woman called authorities to report that a man matching Morris’ description was attempting to break into her vehicle. Deputies searched the area and Morris and Cole were found camping in a shed nearby. They are facing a number of charges related to outstanding warrants in Mississippi, including receiving stolen property and contempt of court, as well as new charges related to commercial burglary and attempted burglary. 

Cole has a criminal record in Colorado going back to at least 2018, including a still-open case for third-degree assault in Park County from 2021 and a conviction for misdemeanor harassment and telephone obstruction from 2018 in Chaffee County, for which she had probation revoked four times. She was sentenced to 53 days in jail and given credit for 51 days served, along with a year of probation. There have also been several cases involving violations of protection orders over the past several years, but those cases have been dismissed and one of those orders was vacated.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is still seeking the public’s help and is asking anyone with information to contact them at 719-390-5555.

As Mississippi reels from Saturday’s bout of severe weather, the state should continue to get a break from intensified conditions on Monday. Below is your statewide forecast from the National Weather Service.

Northern Mississippi

During the day, it will be mostly sunny with highs in the mid to upper 60s. Come nighttime, it will be partly cloudy with a chance of showers after midnight. Lows will be in the lower 50s.

Central Mississippi

It will be sunny with highs in the lower 70s. After nightfall, it will be partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and lows in the lower to mid-50s.

Southern Mississippi

It will be sunny with highs in the lower 70s. At night, will be partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers after midnight. Lows will be in the mid to upper 50s.

Following Colorado’s loss to BYU in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday evening, Deion Sanders staffers Vincent Dancy and Phil Loadholt are leaving the program to join Mississippi State per a report by Steve Robertson of 247 Sports. Loadholt served as the Buffaloes’ offensive line coach and Dancy served as defensive ends coach.

Dancy, an HBCU graduate from Jackson State University, became part of Colorado’s staff in 2022 after Deion Sanders left the Tigers. Prior to that, he spent five seasons as the head coach at Mississippi Valley State. His coaching journey began in 2009 as a graduate assistant at JSU, where he later became the safeties coach in 2012. In 2014, he took on the role of defensive coordinator at Paine College in Augusta, Georgia. Dancy initially joined Colorado as a quality control analyst but then was promoted to defensive ends coach.

Loadholt is a Colorado native, playing middle and high school football in the state. He committed to Colorado out of high school but was unable to enroll due to academic troubles so he went to Garden City Community College before eventually heading to Oklahoma. His stellar play for the Sooners caught the attention of the Vikings, who selected him with the 54th pick in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played for the Vikings until 2015.

According to Robertson’s report, Loadholt was considered last December for an off-the-field analyst role on Coach Jeff Lebby’s staff. However, the Loadholt chose to join Coach Deion Sanders at Colorado. Now, both staffers are joining a Mississippi State team that has seen immense struggles. The team finished 2-10 in Lebby’s first year at the helm of the program.

Lebby surely looks to enjoy the turnaround success that Sanders experienced in his first two seasons leading Colorado. The Buffaloes finished the season 9-4 and boasted the 2024 Heisman Trophy Winner in Travis Hunter. Loadholt and Dancy are expected to stay with their position groups in their new roles with Mississippi State.