Cold-case murder suspect captured after slipping out of handcuffs and shackles at gas station in Montana

Authorities in western Montana have captured a Michigan slaying suspect who escaped custody over the weekend by removing his handcuffs and shackles at a gas station while being transported to face charges. Chadwick Shane Mobley was taken into custody at about 6:10 p.m. Monday in the town of Plains, the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.

Mobley, 42, escaped on Sunday while being moved by a private company under contract with the U.S. Marshals Service through Plains, the sheriff’s office said.

The town of about 1,000 people along the Clark Fork river is surrounded by mountains and portions of the Lolo National Forest.

Local residents had been advised to remove their keys and guns from their vehicles, lock their houses and report any suspicious activity. It had been unknown if Mobley remained in the area, according to Sanders County Undersheriff Jerry Johnson.

The Marshals Service assisted in the search for Mobley, and local authorities communicated about the case with law enforcement in Michigan, Johnson said.

“Special shout to the citizens that saw and made the call and helped watch,” the sheriff’s office said. “Great work by all, together we made a difference! Not just for our community, but for the victims of the crimes he is suspected of, and being charged with.”

Michigan’s attorney general announced last week that Mobley would be charged with felony murder and other offenses in the death of Andrea Eilber, once he was returned to the state. Eilber was shot in the head at her relative’s home in Lapeer, Michigan in 2011.

Mobley was linked to the crime by DNA evidence found at the scene that was reanalyzed last year, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said.

Mobley had been living in Utah but fled to Montana after being questioned by investigators, authorities said. He was initially arrested June 28 in Libby, Montana, which is about 70 miles from Plains. It was unclear how he managed to remove his handcuffs and shackles.

“I appreciate the hard work and coordination between the Michigan State Police, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department and law enforcement agents in Utah who helped facilitate this arrest,” Nessel said.