Man Arrested on Serious Felony Charges at Historic McCloud Location

MCCLOUD, Calif. – The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office arrested Edward Ray Henline Jr., 47, on Thursday morning at a residence on Minnesota Avenue in McCloud on multiple serious felony charges, according to official booking records.

Henline was taken into custody at 10:16 a.m. on August 15, 2025, at 332 Minnesota Street and is being held without bail at the Siskiyou County Jail. His booking number is 2502952.

Charges Filed

The arrest involved six felony charges:

• Bench warrant/failure to appear on felony charge
• Battery with serious bodily injury
• Prevent/dissuade victim/witness
• Assault with force/possible great bodily injury
• Rape by force/fear
• False imprisonment

Historical Significance of Location

The Minnesota Avenue location holds particular significance in McCloud’s history. In 1997, two young women – 27-year-old Karin Knechtel-Mero and 15-year-old Hannah Zaccaglini – disappeared within four months of each other. Both were last seen at the Henline family residence on East Minnesota Avenue.

Karin Mero was dating Edward Henline Jr. at the time of her disappearance in February 1997. She had been living at the Henline home with her boyfriend and his parents, Ed Henline Sr. and Debbie Henline.

Past Legal Proceedings

In 1998, Ed Henline Sr. and his wife were arrested for welfare fraud after authorities discovered they had been cashing Mero’s disability checks for months after her disappearance. They pleaded guilty to perjury and were sentenced to pay $2,000 and serve three years probation.

In 2012, both Ed Henline Sr. and Jr. were arrested in connection with Hannah Zaccaglini’s disappearance. Henline Sr. was charged with murder, while Henline Jr. faced conspiracy and accessory charges. However, all charges were dismissed in May 2013 due to insufficient evidence for prosecution without recovered bodies.

Ongoing Investigations

The 1997 disappearance cases remain open and active investigations with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office. As recently as 2019, Detective Sergeant James Randall stated that all three members of the Henline family had been interviewed multiple times over the years and remained persons of interest.

The Sheriff’s Office has maintained a $2,500 reward for information leading to convictions in either the Mero or Zaccaglini cases, with the possibility of increasing the reward to $5,000.

Current Status

Henline Jr. remains in custody at the Siskiyou County Jail. The current charges appear to be related to separate, recent alleged incidents and are not directly connected to the historical disappearance cases at this time.

Anyone with information about any of these cases is encouraged to contact the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office at (530) 841-2900. Anonymous tips are accepted.

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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