rking@heraldnet.com

TULALIP — Detectives have arrested a Marysville man in the June 19 killing of a man whose body was found on the Tulalip Reservation.

The man was shot to death over pain medication, the arrest report says.

The suspect was booked into the Snohomish County Jail late June 25 for investigation of second-degree murder. The 30-year-old Marysville man is expected to appear in court the afternoon of June 26.

A passerby called 911 after finding the body down an embankment along 14th Avenue NE. Detectives believe the body was moved there.

The victim, Steven D. Steadman, was last seen alive by family earlier June 19 in Everett. The suspect reportedly used Steadman’s phone to text his family after his death. Steadman’s daughter was told to give the suspect all of Steadman’s pain medication, detectives wrote. The texts continued for at least two days after the killing.

By then, the suspect reportedly had dyed his hair and made plans to travel to California.

He gave police conflicting statements about his whereabouts over the past week. He also allegedly said he had thrown away items belonging to Steadman, including a wheelchair and a backpack.

Detectives  were obtaining a judge’s permission to search the suspect’s home and vehicle for potential evidence.

Ammunition and prescription bottles in Steadman’s name reportedly were seen in the suspect’s possession.