McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- An attempted murder suspect who apparently befriended a missing McMinnville couple was found dead in Arizona on Wednesday, police said.

The man was accused of shooting at an officer after the couple went missing.

 Background: Ore. couple missing after shooting

Police believe Kenneth Miller, 73, and Betty Lou Japel, 69, had been traveling in their motorhome and disappeared a short time before their new friend Gregory Cole, also known as "Groundhog," fired on an officer in Quartzite, Ariz., near the Arizona-California border last weekend.

The officer survived the shooting and police found Groundhog's motorhome abandoned with license plates on it that detectives later learned had been taken off the McMinnville couple's pickup truck.

Late Tuesday afternoon, police said they found the pickup truck abandoned in Montana and the couple's motorhome was found in Oregon, but Miller and Japel were still missing.

On Wednesday, officers in Arizona found Cole's body along Highway 95 near Quartzite. He committed suicide.

The family has been growing increasingly concerned and to add to their worries, police found photos of Japel, Miller and "Groundhog" together in a campground.

KGW photo

Betty Japel, Kenneth Miller and "Groundhog" in a photo obtained by police.

“It is unknown how long the Dodge (pickup) had been in Montana and how it got there,” Tim Mason with the Arizona Dept. of Public Safety said Tuesday.  “As of today, DPS Detectives have the motor home used in the shooting (owned by Gregory Cole but had the couple's license plate on it), the couple's motor home (located in Oregon), and the couple's Dodge pickup truck (located in Montana).”

Cole had a warrant is out for his arrest on attempted murder charges.

(kgw.com reporter Antonia Giedwoyn contributed to this article)