Police in North Carolina have arrested the wife of a former Green Beret in connection with his murder and disappearance.
Investigators found Shana Cloud’s missing husband, Clinton Bonnell, in a body of water in Fayetteville after getting a call “in reference to human remains,” the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said in a press statement. Cloud is charged with first-degree murder and concealing death.
Bonnell, 50, had not been seen or heard from since January 28, when a worker at Methodist University asked to check on her health at her home in Fayetteville.
The man, who used to be a Green Beret, “failed to attend class” on the morning of January 28 while in the university’s physician assistant program.
“When the deputies got there, they met Shana Cloud, Clinton Bonnell’s wife. Cloud said she hadn’t seen Bonnell since the previous day.” The house was where Bonnell’s car, school bag, and other things were found, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
Later that same night, Bonnell’s friend called the police to ask for another check on his health at the Fayetteville home. As a result, police began looking for him as he seemed to have disappeared.
The Homicide Unit of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office carried out a search warrant at Bonnell’s home on January 30. The next day, February 1, agents went to Virginia with help from the Virginia State Police to carry out search warrants on Cloud’s car, rental property, and phone.
The evidence that the police gathered while carrying out the order was sent back to Cumberland County.
More than one search warrant was carried out in February to get cellphone records, video footage, digital devices, and other digital data. These were “analysed and used to develop a timeline of events not only surrounding Bonnell’s disappearance but also his whereabouts prior to his disappearance,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office got a call on Tuesday, February 25, about bodies found in a body of water in Fayetteville. They started using DNA testing to try to figure out who the bodies belonged to. On March 28, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System confirmed that the DNA taken from the body was identical to Bonnell’s.
Cloud was taken at her home by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office without any problems. On Monday, she will go to court for the first time.
“Our hearts go out to the Bonnell family, the Special Forces community, and the Methodist University Physician’s Assistant Program during this difficult time,” the sheriff’s team said. “We ask people to respect their own privacy and think about what they say on social media.” No more information will be given out at this time out of respect for Bonnell and the integrity of the probe that is still going on.
Another message from March 29 said that Stanley T. Wearden, president of Methodist University, had “no words to heal your broken hearts.”
“All I can do is care for you and feel sorry for you.” We will do everything we can to meet your needs during this very sad time. “Please be kind and patient with each other, and let your teachers and staff know when you need help or support,” Wearden said in a statement.
He asked people to “keep Clint’s family/friends/classmates in your thoughts, respect their privacy, be mindful of comments on social media, and continue to take care of yourselves and all fellow Monarchs.”
People set up a GoFundMe to help look for Bonnell while he was still thought to be missing. It says that he was a Green Beret doctor in the Army for 20 years.
