Las Vegas constable’s deputy serving eviction misses dead body in apartment

Conrad Barrios’ body was bound in several layers of material, a green computer cable wrapped around his neck. Then the 41-year-old man was stuffed into a bloody bag and left in the bedroom of his own apartment.

But when a Las Vegas Township constable’s deputy went to the apartment at 4943 Indian River Drive, near Harmon Avenue and Decatur Boulevard, on Feb. 8, he didn’t notice anything amiss.

At about noon that day, constable Sgt. Daniel Scott McWilliams went to Barrios’ apartment to serve an eviction notice. There he met the tenant, Alexander Allen, 36, who appeared nervous, Las Vegas police said in a report released Tuesday.

While inspecting the apartment, McWilliams asked to enter a locked room. Allen first refused, then ran from the apartment when McWilliams asked a maintenance worker to help him open the locked door.

When McWilliams stepped into the room, he saw a dog and nothing else.

“McWilliams did not notice anything unusual,” the report said. “He had the locks changed to the apartment and advised the landlord to contact animal control for the dog.”

When animal control officers and a maintenance worker entered the room, they saw the bloody bag and decided a body was inside. Las Vegas police confirmed the death, about three hours after McWilliams entered the apartment.

Police caught up with Allen on Monday and arrested him on a charge of murder with a deadly weapon. He remains in the Clark County Detention Center without bail.

The report said that Barrios was Allen’s boyfriend and the two had lived together in the apartment. Their relationship was confirmed through Facebook photos, the report said.

Officers in their report added that McWilliams missed several clues of a crime in the apartment.

“Detectives and crime scene analysts discovered large amounts of blood in the bathroom and bedroom,” the report said. “On the bathroom vanity was a hammer, which was wrapped in a towel and plastic bags. ... There was blood visible on the bathroom floor, tub, toilet and door. The shower curtain was also ripped down and lying in the tub.”

Investigators also found a heavy metal candle holder in the bedroom that was stained with blood. Blue and green computer cables were also found.

The report said Barrios died from strangulation and blunt-force injuries to his head and neck.

Injuries to Barrios’ head and right shoulder were similar in shape to the legs of the metal candle holder, the report said.

Allen’s initial court hearing is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. today.

Lou Toomin, a spokesman with the constable’s office, said Tuesday night the incident involving McWilliams is under investigation.

He said he could not provide additional comment.

The constable’s office, which serves papers and carries out evictions, has been mired in controversy the past few years, and Clark County commissioners are considering abolishing it.

Constable John Bonaventura was arrested by the Nevada Highway Patrol on suspicion of drunken driving Feb. 12. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said last week he would not pursue charges against Bonaventura because of lack of evidence.

Since Bonaventura took office in 2011, he has been involved in a heavily criticized foray into reality television, hit with allegations of sexual harassment, been in several jurisdictional disputes and criticized for using clever accounting to circumvent county oversight.

He also has hired deputies with questionable histories that include run-ins with the law.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.