A Santa Cruz County man suspected of killing his father last month has been arrested in Switzerland, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.
On May 18, the family of 90-year-old Robert Smallwood reported him missing after several days of no contact. He was found dead the next day on his property located on Jarvis Road northeast of Scotts Valley, with an autopsy later determining that his death was a homicide.
His 54-year-old son, James Smallwood, who had been living with his father but fled to Switzerland before the body was discovered, was identified as the prime suspect in Robert’s murder early on, the sheriff’s office wrote in a post on social media.
With the help of the Swiss government and the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, James Smallwood was located and arrested May 29.
Smallwood is being held in Switzerland as authorities work to extradite him to the U.S. Upon his return to Santa Cruz County, he will be booked into Main Jail.
He will face charges of murder, elder abuse, unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle, and three counts of identity theft, according to the sheriff’s office.
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