Former Arizona Wildcat Chance Comanche faces charges in kidnapping, killing of woman

Comanche, 27, played two seasons for the Arizona Wildcats from 2015-17 before leaving school for the NBA Draft. He went undrafted in 2017 and began his professional playing career later that year in the NBA’s developmental G League, where he was an active player until last week.

Comanche was arrested Friday in Northern California after a warrant was issued by a Las Vegas court against him for first-degree kidnapping, according to The Sacramento Bee. As of Sunday morning, Comanche was being held without bail and was scheduled to appear in Sacramento Superior Court Tuesday afternoon, the Bee reported.

Once Comanche is extradited to Nevada, he will face murder charges after the remains of Marayna Rodgers, 23, were found in the desert near the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Sunday in a news release.

Sakari Harnden, 19, was arrested last week and was also facing a first-degree kidnapping charge with bail set Thursday at $500,000, according to Las Vegas news station KLAS 8. Las Vegas police said Sunday that Harndon would also be facing murder charges.

Las Vegas police said they were able to recover human remains outside Henderson “based on information obtained” after the pair was arrested, the release said. The remains were identified as Rodgers by the Clark County Coroner, the release said.

Rodgers was reported missing on the afternoon of Dec. 7. Las Vegas police said she had not been seen or heard from since Dec. 5, when detectives say she was out with friends. They also say Rogers had a pre-arranged meeting with Harndon, her friend, who was going to bring Comanche, identified as Harndon’s boyfriend.

That same night, Comanche, playing basketball professionally most recently with the NBA G League’s Stockton Kings, scored 16 points in the Kings’ matchup in Henderson against the Henderson-based G League Ignite team. On Dec. 7, Comanche was in the lineup for the Kings in Portland, Oregon, for a game against the Rip City Remix.

Comanche would play two more game for the Kings after that — another in Portland, the second in Stockton, California — before his arrest. The Stockton Kings, the G League affiliate of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, released Comanche on Friday.

Comanche was one of three former Arizona Wildcats on the Stockton Kings roster this season.

Comanche starred for Beverly Hills High School before joining the Arizona men’s basketball program as the No. 91 overall prep recruit in the class of 2015. In two seasons in Tucson, he played in 60 games, averaging 6.3 points and 3.6 rebounds as a sophomore in 2016-17.

His professional career has included stints with multiple G League teams, an MVP campaign in the upstart TBL, as well as a season overseas playing in Turkey. He has seen action in one NBA game in his career, making that debut last season for the Portland Trail Blazers.