NBA G player, Chance Comanche, arrested for the kidnapping and killing of a woman in Las Vegas
On December 17, officials with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) announced that 27-year-old Chance Comanche, a player with the Stockton Kings in the NBA’s G League, was arrested along with his girlfriend in the kidnapping and suspected murder of Marayna Rodgers, whose remains were discovered the Henderson, Nevada, desert. On Friday, following news of his arrest, the Stockton Kings terminated the 27-year-old center basketball player from the league.
Background: On December 7 at approximately 3:32 p.m., two individuals walked into an LVMPD substation to report Marayna Rodgers missing. Rodgers was a 23-year-old medical assistant who had been visiting Las Vegas with friends from Washington state, according to The Los Angeles Times. As their investigation into the missing woman got underway, detectives learned that Rodgers was out with friends on December 5 and had a pre-arranged meeting with her friend, 19-year-old Sakari Harnden, who would bring her boyfriend Chance Comanche to the get together. But after that meeting occurred, Rodgers had not been seen or heard from.
Early in the investigation, detectives suspected foul play and obtained evidence to arrest Harnden and her boyfriend Comanche for their role in the kidnapping and disappearance of Rodgers. ~ LVMPD
On December 13, Harnden was arrested in Las Vegas by the Criminal Apprehension Team (CAT) and booked into the Clark County Detention Center for kidnapping. On December 15, Commanche was arrested by the members of the California FBI Criminal Apprehension Team in Sacramento, California and is pending extradition to Nevada for Kidnapping.
Based on information obtained after the arrest of Harnden and Commanche, detectives were able to recover human remains in a desert area in Henderson. The remains were later identified by the Clark County Coroner to be of Marayna Rodgers.
Detectives determined that Harnden and Commanche were responsible for the murder of Rodgers. The charges for both individuals will be amended to open murder through coordination with the Clark County District Attorney’s office.
CBS Sports reports that Comanche went undrafted in 2017 before playing in the G League and in Turkey. He made one appearance in the NBA for the Portland Trail Blazers in April of 2023. Comanche signed with NBA’s Sacramento Kings on October 2; and they waived him on October 12. He then played with their G League affiliate the Stockton Kings.
As of this writing, there is no reported motive for the kidnapping and killing of Marayna Rodgers.
- Anyone with any information about this incident is urged to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section by phone at 702-828-3521, or by email at homicide@lvmpd.com.
- To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at (702) 385-5555, or on the Internet at www.crimestoppersofnv.com.
For more on the arrest of former NBA G League player Chance Comanche, see the video accompanying this article.
(Source: LVMPD)
(Chance Comanche cover photo, Image credit: Twitter)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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