Las Vegas NowSuspect Confesses, Las Vegas Police Search For Woman's Body

Suspect Confesses, Las Vegas Police Search For Woman's Body

Police had been investigating the mysterious disappearance of a Las Vegas woman for a week. However, any hope for finding Brenda Schmalfeldt alive was extinguished Friday, and the identity of her suspected killer is a shocker.

The self-described transgender "escort" turned himself in to police Friday saying he killed Schmalfeldt. He then he told Metro officers where to look for her body.

Police now have a suspect and a confession, but what they don't have is the victim's body. Metro has been searching for the body in a landfill.

The victim was last seen alive leaving a bar on East Flamingo with the suspect on Saturday, Jan. 13. From that point, only the killer knows what happened.

Brenda Schmalfeldt was drinking with friends at Zodies that Saturday when she disappeared. There was hope she would be found soon. However, a break in the case turned it from a missing persons case into a murder investigation.

Metro Police Lt. Lew Roberts said, "As a result of this interview, this individual had stated that he had murdered our victim."

The last person seen with Schmalfeldt at the bar was Raven Navajo. On an Internet site, Navajo describes himself as a transgender escort looking for admirers.

Police describe Navajo and Schmalfeldt as friends. Now, he's behind bars for her death.

Detectives have found evidence but again no body.

"We went out to different locations and there was evidence that something had occurred. There was significant evidence such as blood that leads us to believe there was a struggle and something did happen, which brings us to this landfill in Apex," Lt. Roberts stated. 

Navajo said while he was drunk he put the body in a dumpster that has since been emptied.

Friday night, Metro detectives searched about two miles inside the landfill for Schmalfeldt's body. They will exhaust their resources before calling of the search. They say even if they don't find it, they believe they have enough to charge the suspect.

Lt. Lew Roberts continued, "There is blood at the crime scene. There are different things at the crime scene. You have a suspect telling detectives that he in fact committed a murder."

Why one friend would turn on another in such a brutal violent way is not yet known.

While the bartender at Zodies did not want to speak on camera, he told Channel 8 Eyewitness News both the suspect and the victim were somewhat regulars there, and he is stunned by this entire series of incidents.

Email your comments to Reporter Adrian Arambulo.

(Jan. 19) -- Police now believe the missing woman they thought was in danger, and asked the community's help in locating her, was murdered.

Brenda Schmalfeldt was last seen leaving Zodies bar on East Flamingo on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 13. She was last seen in her black and maroon cocktail server's outfit.

Police received a break in the case Friday when a man turned himself into police, saying he was the one who killed Schmalfeldt and threw her body in the trash.

Police have been having a hard time trying to locate the body.