Amador County deputies discover man’s body in shallow grave after son’s alleged confession

The Amador County Sheriff’s Office discovered the body of a missing man Saturday who authorities believe was killed by his son.

The body of Lance Purdy, 52, of Pine Grove, was found in a shallow grave that was recently dug, officials said. Deputies were tipped off to the location by his son, Sean Purdy, who authorities say confessed, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.

A search and rescue team was deployed to various places throughout the county late Friday, including where the man lived in Pine Grove, a small foothills community of about 2,000 people.

Residents were urged to avoid areas where the search party was scouting. The search continued until shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday morning when the buried body was found, deputies said.

The Sheriff’s Office said they were still looking for evidence used in the killing.

Sean Purdy, 20, who was last seen with his father, was arrested Thursday in Nevada after his phone was tracked to the east shore of Lake Tahoe, according to previous Bee reporting. Sean Purdy was booked in the Washoe County jail and was expected to be extradited back to California.

Officials said he confessed while in jail after about four hours of interviews. The body was positively identified at 11 a.m. Saturday by family members, the release said.

Deputies were called to the Purdy’s Kevkie Court home after a neighbor noticed a lot of blood at the property. The neighbor also saw Sean Purdy leave shortly before in a blue Subaru Outback.

Sean’s mother told deputies that she was concerned for her husband, who flew home early in the week to check on Sean. He was not seen since.

This story was originally published January 4, 2020 at 11:52 AM.