FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WISH) — A Richmond man that police called a “known drug-dealer” has been charged with killing two police informants and dumping their bodies in a Fort Wayne river, police say.

Dominique M. “Nico” Washington, 29, is scheduled to be formally charged Wednesday morning in Allen Superior Court 5 with four murder counts. He was arrested Monday night after police served a search warrant in the 400 block of Campbell Avenue in Richmond, a residential area off U.S. 40 on the city’s west side.

The Fort Wayne Police Department was called at 1 p.m. Friday to a report of two bodies being pulled from the St. Mary’s River in the area of Michaels Avenue and Van Buren Street. That’s just east of the Guldlin Park boat ramp.

The two bodies, a man and a woman from Connersville, were in trash bags. Investigators found that Matthew Joseph Johnson, 41, had been shot in the head, and the woman, Christina Michelle Dixon, 41, had been strangled and suffocated, the Allen County coroner reported when ruling both deaths to be homicides.

Police believe Washington lured Dixon and Johnson into a vehicle in Richmond, forced them to turn off their phones, switched vehicles, killed them and dumped their bodies in the St. Mary’s River in Fort Wayne.

Using Dixon’s and Johnson’s cellphones, police tracked their movements and spoke to contacts the two had made in days leading up to the murders. Johnson’s phone listed Washington as a contact.

The cellphones led Fort Wayne investigators to contact Richmond Police Department, and they learned that Dixon and Johnson were confidential informants who were missing. Richmond police say the informants had recently led them to a large drug bust in Richmond.

Dixon’s and Johnson’s phones went off network shortly after they met with Washington at a Richmond apartment complex. The phones were later found in a trash can.

Washington’s first court hearing was set for 8 a.m. Wednesday in Richmond.

News 8’s Gregg Montgomery contributed to this story.

Statement

“Our hearts go out to the families of Christina and Matthew as they endure this tragic loss. We remain steadfast in our commitment to bringing justice to them. This arrest is just one step in ensuring that those responsible for such horrific acts are held accountable. We will continue to work tirelessly alongside our partners to ensure that justice is service. Additional arrests and information will follow, and we will not rest until everyone involved is brought to justice.”

Chief Kyle Weatherly of Richmond Police Department