CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Detectives believe they are getting closer to finding a man they want to question in connection with the death of Cross Lanes resident Anna Ranson.
Charleston police have been looking for Josh Given for about a week, Chief of Detectives Lt. Tony Hazelett said Tuesday.
“Several tips have come in and we’ve followed up on it. One recently came in and we’re pretty sure he was on the West Side and we just missed him,” Hazelett said. “We’re pretty sure he’s in the West Side area.”
Ranson’s body was found in the Kanawha River Sept. 21. Investigators are still awaiting a final autopsy report and a toxicology report from the state Medical Examiner’s Office for an official cause of death.
Police want to speak with Given because it’s believed he may have the been the last person to see Ranson, 32, alive, Hazelett said.
“The questions we have for him—where they were? Maybe he can fill in the gaps,” Hazelett said.
Charleston police have not charged Given but state police recently filed five felony counts against him for failing to register as a convicted sexual offender.
Police previously arrested Keith Allen Hubbard, 42, of St. Albans, and Jordan Merwin, 35, for allegedly stealing and using items that belonged to Ranson.