Authorities take Drew Black into custody as person of interest in Whiterocks homicide investigation

This May 2017 booking photo in an unrelated matter shows Drew Black, 33. Black, also known as Drew Cuch, was taken into custody as a person of interest for questioning in an August 2017 homicide investigation. | Photo courtesy Duchesne County Sheriff's Office, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Drew Black, a person of interest in a homicide investigation in Whiterocks, was taken into custody without incident in Salt Lake County Wednesday evening.

This May 2017 booking photo in an unrelated matter shows Drew Black, 33. Black, also known as Drew Cuch, was taken into custody as a person of interest for questioning in an August 2017 homicide investigation. | Photo courtesy Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

The investigation relates to the death of a 20-year-old woman named Sukakee Manyhides whose body was found Aug. 23 under suspicious circumstances on a road northwest of Whiterocks.

At the time this report was taken, Black, 33, who also goes by Drew Cuch, was not considered a suspect in the case.

“We still consider him a person of interest at this time,” Sandra Yi Barker, public affairs specialist with the FBI’s Salt Lake City division, told St. George News.

Another person, 30-year-old Zhondee Nephi, was arrested in connection with the case Saturday.

The homicide investigation is being actively conducted by Duchesne County Sheriff’s detectives working with FBI agents and Bureau of Indian Affairs authorities.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call one of the following:

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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1 Comment

  • SteveSGU August 31, 2017 at 11:24 pm

    Whiterocks where? Certainly nothing in our area.

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