Santa Cruz man arrested in Switzerland accused of his father’s murder
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV) - A Santa Cruz man was arrested in Switzerland as a suspect in his father's murder on May 29.
According to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, 54-year-old James Smallwood had left for Switzerland before the discovery of his father's, 90-year-old Robert Smallwood, body.
On May 18, relatives of Robert reported him missing for a few days, with the Sheriff's detectives and SCSO Search and Rescue searching for Robert's property.
Upon searching, they found Robert's body, with an autopsy later determining his death as homicide.
James Smallwood had been living with his father at the time of his father's death. Sheriff's detectives and the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's office determined that James may have been responsible.
Both parties began to work with the Swiss government, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, and Swiss authorities to locate James and arrest him.
James is being held in Switzerland with work being done to extradite him to the U.S. James is being held on multiple charges, including murder, elder abuse, and identity theft.
