PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – Court documents obtained by WSLS 10 News may explain why a Pittsylvania County man was found dead in September.
A cooperating witness working with authorities investigating the death of Zachary Pruitt shared that he was killed by a named person to silence him for his knowledge of past crimes, according to court documents
A search warrant reveals the informant told police that the man named in the document was the last to be seen with Zachary on surveillance video while he was alive.
Zachary was last seen in July and according to his twin sister Rikki Pruitt, it took over 40 days before his body was found in early September.
The medical examiner’s office officially identified his body this week, but the manner and cause of death remain unknown.
According to the warrant, the cooperating witness believes Zachary was killed by the man in question to silence him over the larceny of five firearms on July 16.
The search warrant will give Pittsylvania County police access to cell phone contents and geo-location information belonging to the man named by the witness.
Rikki says her family is just desperate for answers as it would provide some type of closure.
“Everybody liked him — even the people that hadn’t talk to him in years or months. It was the same way growing up and he’s lived there all of his life," said Rikki.
Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office said this case remains classified as a death investigation.