Detectives arrest two in death of man whose remains found in Modesto backyard

Two people were arrested Friday night in the death of a Modesto man whose remains were discovered last week behind a house in an airport district backyard.

Robert Edward Wisswell, 53, and Rebecca Marie Garcia, 44, were taken into custody without incident at 8:10 p.m. at a homeless encampment near the intersection Glenn Avenue and Reliance Street just east of Crows Landing Road, according to Sgt. Tom Letras of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deparment.

Working with evidence and leads from witnesses who came forward due to media coverage, Detective Cory Brown and Detective Sgt. Jon Howard were able to pinpoint the suspects.

Letras said Wisswell, known on the streets as “Animal,” and Garcia lived in a shed in the backyard of the home in the 100 block of Santa Rita Avenue, where the remains of Jacob Sutton-Bubeck, 26, of Modesto, were found last Saturday.

His remains were actually beneath the shed that, at some point, had been removed after Wisswell and Garcia left the property in late January or early February, Letras said.

Sutton-Bubeck, also known as “Cheddar,” had been reported missing by his brother on Feb. 10.

Letras said detectives are not yet ready to release the cause or nature of Sutton-Bubeck’s death. He said it was not immediately known who took down the shed or why. Detectives are still hoping more witnesses come forward.

Letras said a lot of the tips came from people who had lived at the home on Santa Rita, allowing Brown and Howard to corroborate a lot of the evidence.

“That is what helped break the case,” Letras said.

Wisswell, who is suspected of committing the alleged murder, and Garcia are in custody and expected to be charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Sutton-Bubeck’s decomposing remains were discovered by a resident who was digging in the yard to bury a dead pet.

This story was originally published December 1, 2018 at 1:20 AM.