Lewisburg, WV (WOAY) – The West Virginia State Police (WVSP) Lewisburg Detachment has cracked a murder case following a 15-year investigation.
In 2007, Lewisburg authorities received a missing person report on James Johansen, 53, of Lewisburg.
Johansen had not been in contact with friends or neighbors for some time before his disappearance.
West Virginia State Troopers found a break in the case last year after receiving a phone call from the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office reporting the discovery of skeletal remains near Muddy Creek Mountain.
Authorities and crime scene investigators collected remains and additional evidence at the crime scene. Greenbrier County Sheriff’s conducted a crime scene report revealing the remains belonged to Johansen.
WVSP-Lewsiburg Detachment and WVSP Bureau of Criminal Investigations continued investigating based on the discovery of Johansen’s body and the previous investigation reports.
After following up on new and old leads, Troopers presented Prosecutor Pat Via with an investigative report resulting in Via presenting the case to the Greenbrier County grand jury.
The Jury returned indictments against Charles Micheal “Cason” Kessinger for murder and first-degree robbery.
Texas Rangers and the Department of Public Safety arrested Kessinger in his San Antonio home. Law enforcement detained him until West Virginia authorities arrived to extradite and transport him to Southern Regional Jail in Raleigh County.
Greenbrier County Circuit Court plans to arraign Kessinger on November 10.