2 18-year-olds arrested on murder charges after death of ASU professor

July 25 (UPI) -- Two Louisiana teenagers have been charged with murder in connection with the death of an Arizona State University professor who went missing in March.

Junseok Chae, an associate dean for research and an engineering professor, was reported missing March 25 after he did not return home from work, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Law enforcement began searching for him May 11.

Police in Shreveport, La., contacted MCSO March 30, saying they had responded to a "suspicious" vehicle call.

During that call, police contacted 18-year-old Javian Ezell, 18-year-old Gabrielle Austin and a third individual police did not name.

"Officers determined the vehicle belonged to Professor Chae and obtained statements from the individuals which led them to believe Chae may have been the victim of a homicide," said MCSO's statement.

Police believe Chae was killed at an intersection north of Phoenix and that his body was placed in a dumpster.

The sheriff's office, with help from the Arizona National Guard and Waste Management and using heavy equipment provided by a construction company in the area, searched a landfill in Surprise, Ariz., for more than two months, with the search beginning in mid-May.

On July 17, searchers found human remains later identified as Chae's, along with related evidence.

Ezell and Austin were extradited to Arizona and were in MCSO as of Friday, with their bond being set at $1 million each. Each faces charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery and vehicle theft.