NBA G-league player and girlfriend “execute murder plan,” accused of killing woman in Las Vegas valley, police say

Vanessa Murphy
·4 min read
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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A G-league Stockton Kings basketball player and his girlfriend are accused of killing a woman who had been reported missing, according to Las Vegas Metro Police.

Chance Comanche, 27, and Sakari Harnden, 19, are expected to face an open murder charge. The remains of Marayna Rodgers, 23, were located in a desert area in Henderson, just outside of Las Vegas, police said.

Photo of Chance Comanche (left) provided by Associated Press. Photo of Sakari Harnden (right) provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Photo of Chance Comanche (left) provided by Associated Press. Photo of Sakari Harnden (right) provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

Rodgers, a medical assistant from Washington state, had been reported missing. Loved ones told 8 News Now Investigators that she was last seen on Dec. 6 during a visit to Las Vegas with friends. Police said she was reported missing on the afternoon of Dec. 7.

Marayna Rodgers, 23, was last seen on Dec. 6, according to loved ones. (KLAS)
Marayna Rodgers, 23, was last seen on Dec. 6, according to loved ones. (KLAS)

Police learned that Rodgers was out with friends on Dec. 5 and had a pre-arranged meeting with Harnden, who would bring her boyfriend, according to a news release. Detectives suspected foul play and obtained evidence to arrest Comanche and Harnden, police said.

Comanche was taken into custody on Friday by a California FBI Criminal Apprehension Team in connection with the disappearance, 8 News Now Investigators have learned. He was taken to the Sacramento County Jail after a warrant for first-degree kidnapping was issued in Las Vegas Justice Court early Friday morning. He is expected to be extradited to Nevada.

On Friday, the Stockton Kings released Comanche. A team spokesperson declined to comment further on the matter.

The Stockton Kings played the G-league Ignite at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson on Dec. 5, the day before loved ones said that Rodgers disappeared. It is unclear how long Comanche had been in Las Vegas. The Stockton Kings played the Rip City Remix in Portland, Oregon on Dec. 7.

Harnden, 19, was taken into custody on a first-degree kidnapping charge on Dec. 13, as 8 News Now Investigators first reported. She was arrested in Las Vegas. As of Sunday morning, she remained in a downtown Las Vegas jail with $500,000 bail.

Loved ones told 8 News Now Investigators that Rodgers had a good job and would never leave her family back home in Washington state or abandon the dogs she had brought to Las Vegas.

A criminal complaint for the kidnapping charge against Harnden stated that she held or detained Rodgers against her will and without her consent for the purpose of killing her and/or inflicting bodily harm.

Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Diana Sullivan set Harnden’s bail at $500,000 on Dec. 14, according to court records. Conditions included high-level electronic monitoring. It also noted for the “State to notify the Court immediately if the alleged victim is located alive.”

Judge Sullivan had also issued the arrest warrant for Comanche.

Comanche is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon in Sacramento County court, jail records showed.

In a separate case, also in Las Vegas Justice Court, Harnden faced a theft charge. She was accused of stealing at least one Rolex, according to a criminal complaint. The theft charge appeared to be unrelated to the kidnapping case.

Harnden declined an interview with 8 News Now Investigators. She is represented by a public defender, records showed. A preliminary hearing for the kidnapping charge is scheduled for Dec. 28. A status check for the theft charge is scheduled for Dec. 19.

The Dock Ellis Foundation, a Las Vegas group that advocates for families of missing and murdered people of color, sent the following statement to 8 News Now Investigators:

“The Dock Ellis Foundation will continue to follow up on the case of Marayna Rodgers. This is a very traumatic situation for our community, her family and friends. To her family you have the Dock Ellis Foundation’s deepest sympathies during this difficult time.

Again we are asking for the community to continue praying for all who are missing or murdered, because of your dedication Maryana Rodgers will get justice.”

Anyone with information is urged to call the LVMPD Homicide Section by phone at (702) 828-3521 or email at homicide@lvmpd.com.

Tips can be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555.

To reach investigative reporter Vanessa Murphy, email vmurphy@8newsnow.com.

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