NAR settles commission lawsuits for $418 million

Read Now
Real Estate

Arizona police arrest, charge suspect with murder of Realtor Sidney Cranston

Suspect managed Cranston’s rental properties

Arizona Police arrested Al Blanco, 61, late Wednesday, charging him with murder in the death of Realtor Sidney Cranston Jr., 40.

On Tuesday, after nearly 18 months missing, authorities believed they discovered the remains of Cranston, who went missing while showing a property.

According to that latest update in the case from Daily Miner by Hubble Ray Smith, the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office positively identified the human remains located in a remote area east of Kingman as those of Sidney Cranston, Jr. The medical examiner utilized dental charts for verification.

“Police zeroed in on Al Blanco, a friend who owed money to Cranston, as a person of interest. Blanco managed Cranston’s rental properties and had collected about $1,600 the day Cranston went missing,” the article stated.

Cranston was last seen on June 16 when he reportedly went to show an unknown property to an unknown client near Kingman, Arizona, about 100 miles southeast of Las Vegas.

Cranston was last seen at noon by a friend he had lunch with, and according to local media and police reports, his last phone call was logged at 1:30 p.m.

After a week, although local law enforcement officials were actively searching, family and friends feared the trail was already going cold.

By August 2015, Cranston's family said they were giving up hope of finding him alive.

The last news on Cranston came a year after he went missing in June 2016, with Chris Cranston, Sidney Cranston’s brother, urging anyone with information, even those possibly responsible, to come forward.

From the Daily Miner article:

Blanco was hospitalized a week after the Cranston case was featured on the “Crime Watch Daily” TV show, reportedly from an overdose.

“He didn’t kill himself, but he tried,” Chris Cranston said. “This guy is the scum of all scumbags. I’d like to see him put to death, and I’m not a big proponent of the death penalty.”

Cranston said he spent three weeks living with Blanco when he came to Kingman looking for his brother. He fell in love with Blanco’s family, went to his kid’s soccer game, and went searching for Sid with him.

Now, more than six months laters and with his brother’s body found, Cranston told the Daily Minor, “It’s different. We’re on a path to a better place than we’ve been in the last 19 months.”

Most Popular Articles

3d rendering of a row of luxury townhouses along a street

Log In

Forgot Password?

Don't have an account? Please