Three current and former California Highway Patrol officers as well as a prominent criminal defense attorney and five other people have been arrested in connection with murder of a man.

The suspects were all arrested on Friday and according to US officials they all had a hand in the killing of 26-year-old Korey Kauffman, who went missing in April 2012.

Some hunters found the body of Kauffman on August 19, 2013 in a forest near Yosemite National Park, a remote area of Central California.

However, his death was classified as suspicious and investigators found a letter in the mail box of Kauffman’s stepfather that read "heard your son was beaten, I hope he's not dead, I heard he was dumped in a dumpster in Modesto."

According to an arrest warrant, attorney Frank Carson is faced with a murder charge as well as charges of criminal conspiracy, false imprisonment and two counts of soliciting a crime.

Carson, the owner of two homes on 9th Street in Turlock, is believed to have killed Kauffman in one of his homes, according to the affidavit released by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department.

Investigators say Carson thought that Kauffman was stealing valuable antiques placed in storage containers on his property.

The affidavit reads that “the CHP officers involved in this investigation have all attempted to use the office of the California Highway Patrol to thwart the investigators’ attempts to interview them.”

CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow expressed regret over the news, saying “the California Highway Patrol is a very proud organization that values integrity… to hear news like this is devastating.”

The suspects were taken into police custody and will remain in jail until investigation is completed.