BELFAIR – The body of an unidentified elderly person was found inside a container in the back yard of a residence south of Belfair Wednesday morning.

The container was found by Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office detectives around 11:30 a.m. after they obtained a search warrant for a residence in the 300 block of NE Santa Maria Lane, in the North Share area in Mason County.

The container was turned over to the Kitsap County coroner and transported to the Kitsap County Morgue, KCSO Deputy Scott Wilson said.

Wilson said the next step would be to open the container, remove the body and process it for evidence. The coroner will determine the gender of the person as the gender is not currently known, Wilson said. The identity of the person will also be determined.

Wilson said it was his strong belief that the body is related to the Dec. 17 robbery of Robert Archie Hood, 89, who resided in the Tracyton Boulevard area of Silverdale, on NW Barker Creek Road. Hood is missing and was last seen by his caretaker during the afternoon of Dec. 16 at his residence.

A dirt road leading to Hood’s home had a “no trespassing” sign posted as well as a sign that said the road was monitored by video cameras. According to court documents, Hood is – or was – a reclusive millionaire.

Wilson said the body has not been confirmed to be Hood.

Wilson said it was not known yet who might be responsible for Hood’s disappearance.

Wilson said the sheriff’s office was still looking for a suspect, Arnold Mafnas Cruz, 47, of South Kitsap. Cruz is wanted on a charge of rendering criminal assistance in the first degree, with a $500,000 bail. Cruz is a 6-foot, 4-inches tall asian/Pacific islander man who weighs 250 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes and has several tattoos. He may have changed his appearance. He could have a ponytail, or he could have shaved his head or have less facial hair.

Five other suspects were arrested earlier. Detectives are no longer seeking to apprehend another man, Jason Derek McCullough, 34.

Wilson said a 1994 Honda Accord related to the case that was located Dec. 23 was registered to a person in Oregon who had nothing to do with the case. Wilson said the registered owner sold the Honda to someone in Seattle, and that the vehicle has since changed hands several times without being re-registered.

“The investigation does continue,” Wilson said.

Barker Creek Road, a dirt road that leads to Robert Archie Hood’s residence.

A no trespassing sign and other signs stand along Barker Creek Road Dec. 31.