‘Shattered that he’s gone’: Family hopes for answers in man’s killing in Arizona

Richard Ward would often drive 100 miles from his Las Vegas home to Golden Valley, Arizona, to work on a house he was building on property he bought a couple of years ago.

“He would go there for several days at a time,” Ward’s wife Jessica Cottrill said of her husband, who died Feb. 25 under undetermined circumstances. “I’m not sure exactly what he was doing on that night.”

Ward, 40, was discovered unconscious, suffering from a gunshot wound, at about 8 p.m. that night on Naco Road, a dirt road in Golden Valley, an unincorporated rural area between Bullhead City and Kingman, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office.

A person who called 911 led deputies to Ward. Despite attempts to revive him, Ward succumbed to his injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

Now Cottrill, 38, and their two children, Seth Ward, 21, and Emma Cottrill, 19, are mourning his death and wondering what happened to him. Cottrill said she believes Ward had been shot multiple times.

“Richard was loved by so many and had so much compassion in him,” Jessica Cottrill said Wednesday. “I have no idea who would want to harm him.”

“I’m shattered that he’s gone. Just stolen away by some senseless act,” she said. “Richard was a loving husband of 22 years, an amazing man with a heart of solid gold, father of two young adult children who are devastated by his loss, and loyal friend of many. The world has truly lost a golden soul.”

Seeking the public’s help

Cottrill noted that the sheriff’s office hasn’t given her much information. “As frustrating as it is for me, I understand that they are still trying to investigate his case,” she added.

Anita Mortensen, spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, said that deputies are investigating but have so far made no arrests in the homicide.

Ward’s family and friends have offered a $5,000 reward, and the Mohave County Silent Witness program another $1,500, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons involved in Ward’s demise, Jessica Cottrill said.

She said she had known Ward for 25 years, since she was 13. She moved to Las Vegas with their two children 16 years ago and he followed a month later.

The veteran plumber with “extensive knowledge in basic carpentry” worked in construction and carpentry while he and his family lived in Las Vegas and Henderson, his wife said.

“He used his skills to help people in need like building small houses for the homeless and traveling to China to help a friend build handicapped accessible playgrounds and living spaces for orphaned children,” she said.

‘The biggest and tightest hug’

“Sounds pretty intense, but that’s who he was,” she said. “He always saw the good in people even in their worst stages of life. He had a loyalty like no other. He carried a passion in everything he did, and man, he was funny and unique.

“Richard always loved a ‘special occasion,’ didn’t matter what it was, wedding, funeral, graduation, father-daughter dance, or an ROTC awards celebration,” she said. “He came dressed in a suit! On any other time, you would catch him wearing mismatched clothes and some flip flops or his construction work clothes.

“He always wanted to show how much he loved you,” his wife continued. “Everytime he’d seen me, our kids or friends and family, he would give the biggest and tightest hug.”

“If you ever met Richard, you never forgot him,” she said. “His unique quirks and big heart made him stand out from any crowd he was in. The world is definitely quite a bit more boring with him no longer in it.”

The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office has requested that those with information related to the case contact its detective division at 928-753-0753, or toll free at 1-800-522-4312, in reference to case number 24-007175.

Contact Jeff Burbank at jburbank@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0382. Follow him @JeffBurbank2 on X.