AUSTIN, Texas — A man who was investigated in the disappearance of a pair of friends from Houston in 2016 has been indicted for allegedly tampering with two corpses.
According to an indictment, the grand jury for Travis County said on April 2, 2016, 52-year-old Harvey Cyphers tampered with two human corpses, after knowing a murder or assault offense had been committed.
The indictment also stated Cyphers allegedly altered, destroyed or concealed other evidence knowing "an investigation was pending and in progress."
According to the indictment, Cyphers tried to alter or conceal "blood, biological material, a motor vehicle, a cell phone, text messages, a bath mat, a shower liner, shower curtains, and bath towels."
This is not the first time Cyphers has had trouble with the law. He was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm in 2001 and convicted of possession of a controlled substance in 1998, according to the indictment.
In 2016, Houston friends Sidney Taylor and Krislyn Gibson, both 35, arrived at a friend’s house in Austin on April 1 to attend a concert. They then contacted Cyphers, who Taylor had allegedly known for several years.
According to APD Detective Jay Swann, the three of them went a strip club called The Landing Strip and stayed until 2 a.m., when they were seen on surveillance video leaving the club. Police said the friend they were staying with called to check on them at 3 a.m., and Taylor told the friend they were with Cyphers.
Taylor and Gibson have not been seen since the morning of April 2, 2016.
Cyphers is being held in the Travis County Jail on a $100,000 bond.