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WEST VALLEY CITY -- The son of a man found dead inside his West Valley City home has been arrested in connection with the death.
Police booked William Chad Seager, 31, into the Salt Lake County Jail Sunday night for investigation of murder and obstruction of justice.
Police say Seager, who goes by "Chad," got into a verbal and physical altercation with his father, 58-year-old William M. Seager, that ultimately resulted in his father's death.
Chad Seager called 911 Sunday to report his father's death, saying he returned home from a trip to find his father dead at the bottom of the stairs in his home.
Police now say the son returned home from the trip, got into a fight and caused some sort of injury to his father's head. Police say the suspect tried to cover up what happened, but ultimately called police.
Sgt. Mike Powell with the West Valley City Police Department said, "The son had tried to remove the body, at some point, so that it wouldn't be discovered. When he realized he couldn't do that, that's when we received the call that he was reporting his father had been deceased."
Court documents say Seager drove to Wendover and back before calling authorities.
Police aren't saying what the argument was about, only that Chad had cooperated with police during the investigation. Sunday night they had enough evidence to arrest him for murder and obstruction of justice.
Neighbors KSL spoke to Monday morning didn't know much about Chad but say he moved in with his father a few weeks ago to get back on his feet. Many of them are in disbelief about the death of their neighbor.
Reginald Smith said, "I have no idea if it was an accident or foul play, but it's very shocking that it would be him. He's very friendly, very nice, and a hard worker."
Another neighbor, Rick Paterson, agreed. "He was laid back, just about the same every day. He didn't get upset, didn't seem to be stressed out or frustrated about anything and would take life as it came."
Neighbors say William M. Seager retired a few years ago from installing sprinklers at businesses around the state. They say he was very kind and will be missed.
Police are still waiting for a report from the medical examiner for the exact cause of death.
E-mail: spark@ksl.com
