ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. – A Thornton man was arrested earlier this month in Washington state and was extradited to Colorado in connection to a woman’s murder whose body was found inside a storage unit late last month.
Gregory A. Thomas, 36, was arrested at an RV park in Lynden, Wash., on June 6 by members of the Lynden Police Department and the ATF for an outstanding Colorado parole violation arrest warrant, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.
About two weeks prior, on May 20, deputies were called to the 8700 block of Devonshire Boulevard to investigate a body found inside a storage unit. The Adams County coroner would later identify the deceased person as 21-year-old Lavanya Destoniy Jain.
The following day, on May 21, detectives served a search warrant at the residence of the renter of the storage unit – later confirmed to be Thomas – which revealed an additional crime scene. With the help of the county coroner, deputies were able to determine Jain was killed by gunfire.
Deputies said detectives working the case determined Thomas had fled to Washington state after the woman’s body was found, the news release states.
Following his extradition to Colorado, an additional arrest warrant was obtained for Thomas in connection to the woman’s homicide and he was arrested this Monday at the Adams County Detention Facility while he was held for the parole violation warrant.
Deputies said Thomas is facing a first-degree murder and tampering with a deceased human body charge. The case is currently under review for possible filing of charges by the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Adams County.
The investigation is ongoing and further arrests are possible, a spokesperson with the sheriff’s office said.