Police accuse husband, wife of murder in cab driver’s disappearance

By Conor Shine

Published Tuesday, April 10, 2012 | 1:04 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, April 10, 2012 | 4:34 p.m.

A husband and wife are behind bars, accused of murdering the woman’s former boyfriend, a Henderson cab driver who has been missing since January, police say.

Metro Police arrested Georgene Ross, 56, and her husband, Christopher Ross, 52, Monday afternoon in connection with the disappearance of Keith Goldberg, 54, who was last seen Jan. 31 at his Green Valley apartment.

According to police, Goldberg and Georgene Ross had been living together at the apartment since early 2011 but were in the process of moving out as their relationship ended.

On Jan. 31, Goldberg, Georgene Ross and Christoper Ross were all at the apartment when a fight broke out, according to the arrest report.

A neighbor heard and observed a part of the altercation and called Henderson Police around 2:15 p.m., but responding officers were unable to make contact with anyone inside the apartment.

Shortly after the fight was reported, Christopher Ross called in sick to his job as a valet at the Fiesta Hotel an hour and a half before his shift started, the report said.

Later that afternoon, Georgene Ross called in to the taxicab company where Goldberg was employed to report Goldberg would not be able to work his next shift because he was sick, police said.

Both Georgene Ross and Christopher Ross told police they left the apartment after the fight while Goldberg was still there, the report said. Both also told police they hadn’t seen Goldberg since and denied any involvement in his disappearance.

Cell phone tower records obtained by police show that after the fight, the phone belonging to Christopher Ross remained at the apartment throughout the night, according to the report.

The phone was tracked moving about the valley the next day, including a six-hour period spent in a desert area on the east side of Sunrise Mountain, the report said.

Police recovered Goldberg’s car on Feb. 10 in a neighborhood near Sahara Avenue and Paradise Road, with an apparent blood spot on the rear bumper. The car was also dirty and had several scratches consistent with being driven in the desert, the report said.

Police also conducted a search of the apartment Goldberg and Georgene Ross shared and found bloodstains on several areas of the carpet.

Metro homicide Lt. Ray Steiber said the investigation initially began as a missing persons case after Goldberg’s family filed a report on Feb. 3, but the case was transferred to Metro’s homicide division in March.

Although Goldberg’s body has not been recovered, Steiber said police relied on the “totality” of evidence implicating the Rosses when deciding to make the arrest.

“After reviewing with (the District Attorney’s Office), we believe a murder was committed and that it was committed by Mr. and Mrs. Ross,” he said.

Police continue to investigate the case, Steiber said, and are “working very diligently as we try and locate (Goldberg’s) remains.”

Christopher Ross and Georgene Ross are being detained without bail at the Clark County Detention Center.