A man jailed in Kentucky is expected to be extradited to Clark County to face a first-degree murder charge in the November killing of Courtney Valencia Clinton, whose body was found in a vehicle while her 1‑year‑old son was discovered unharmed inside. Authorities have identified the suspect as Dariel Nunez‑Montero, and officials say the interstate transfer could take several weeks while paperwork and legal steps are completed.
The Vancouver Police Department says investigators obtained a felony warrant last April charging Nunez‑Montero with first‑degree murder and that he was arrested in Montgomery County, Kentucky, while already in custody on separate matters. As first reported by KOIN, a spokesperson for the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said the extradition process “is expected to take several weeks.”
How police say they tracked him
Vancouver’s Major Crimes Unit followed investigative leads across state lines into Kentucky and coordinated with local prosecutors and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office to obtain a search warrant and recover evidence, according to LEX 18. The sheriff’s office reports that Nunez‑Montero was already being held in Kentucky when Vancouver detectives served the Clark County warrant for murder.
Kentucky custody and related allegations
Local Kentucky coverage states that Nunez‑Montero and three other men were arrested in an investigation accusing them of stealing more than $18,000 in diesel fuel, allegedly to support a trucking business, and that those cases are separate from the Clark County murder warrant. WKYT reports that Montgomery County authorities have been assisting Vancouver investigators while Nunez‑Montero remains jailed in Kentucky awaiting transfer.
The victim and the scene
Courtney Valencia Clinton, 31, was found before dawn on Nov. 1, 2024, in the 300 block of North Blandford Drive. The Clark County Medical Examiner listed her cause of death as incised wounds to the neck, and investigators say those injuries were the result of an assault, according to Clark County Today. Coverage of the homicide investigation underway detailed the case when it was first announced last fall…