AUBURN, Ala.- On Oct. 18, 2019, at approximately 6:30 a.m., Auburn Police along with the assistance of members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and Tallapoosa County Drug Task Force arrested Ross Jonathan McFarland, 16, of Auburn, on a warrant for Murder.
The arrest stems from an investigation into a death that occurred in the 700 block of Burke Place in Auburn. At approximately 7 p.m. on Oct. 17, 2019, the Auburn Police Division responded to a residence on Burke Place after receiving a call reporting an unresponsive female. Officers discovered a 66-year-old female, affiliated with the residence, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim's name is being withheld until family notifications are completed.
An investigation and analysis of the scene resulted in McFarland, who resides at the residence on Burke Place, being developed as a suspect in the death. The Police Division obtained an arrest warrant and enlisted the aid of the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force; McFarland, a truck missing from the residence and what is believed to be the weapon used in the homicide, was located in the 10,000 block of Highway 50 near Dadeville and taken into custody.
Ross Jonathan McFarland has been charged with murder, transported to the Lee County jail and is held under a $150,000 bond. This case remains under investigation by the Auburn Police Division and Lee County Coroner’s Office. Anyone with additional information regarding this crime is urged to contact the Auburn Police Division Detective Section at 334-501-3140 or the anonymous tip line at 334-246-1391.