All-Star Player Arrested And Killed In Kidnapping, During…

Authorities said on Sunday that Chance Comanche, who last played one game for the Trail Blazers in 2017 and was most recently a player with the NBA G League’s Stockton Kings, and his girlfriend had been taken into custody in connection with the kidnapping and death of a woman from Washington state in Las Vegas.

Comanche, 27, a power forward and center, played college basketball at the University of Arizona from 2015-17 before declaring for the NBA draft. He went undrafted and signed a free-agent contract with the Portland Trail Blazers last April but played only one game. Sacramento signed Comanche in October but waived him 10 days later, at which point he joined Stockton.

Two persons went into a police substation on December 7 at around 3:30 p.m., according to Las Vegas Metropolitan police, to report Marayna Rodgers missing.

Rodgers, who worked as a medical assistant, had been visiting Las Vegas from Washington state with friends, according to local media.

Rodgers, 23, had gone out Dec. 5 and had planned to meet her friend Sakari Harnden, 19, and Harnden’s boyfriend, Comanche.

Rodgers had not been seen or heard from since, police said; authorities suspected foul play. Las Vegas Metropolitan police later discovered Rodgers’ remains in the desert of Henderson, Nevada.

“Detectives determined that Harnden and Comanche were responsible for the murder of Rodgers,” said a statement from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Comanche played with the Stockton Kings in their game against the G League Ignite in Henderson the day Rodgers was last seen.

On suspicion of kidnapping, Comanche was taken into custody by the California FBI Criminal Apprehension Team in Sacramento on Friday. He is currently awaiting extradition to Nevada. According to police, the charges will be “amended to open murder” in cooperation with the district attorney’s office for Clark County. Comanche is being held without being allowed to leave the Sacramento County Jail. Wednesday saw Harnden taken into custody in Las Vegas.

The Sacramento Kings of the NBA waived Comanche on October 12 after he signed with them on October 2. After that, he was a player for the Stockton Kings, a G League affiliate. The 27-year-old center was waived by the Stockton Kings on Friday.

The 6-foot-11 Comanche, who later played for the University of Arizona, was a standout center while attending Beverly Hills High School.