ROOSEVELT -- Investigators have called off their search along two rivers for evidence in connection with the slaying of a couple whose bodies were exploded on a remote ranch.
Officers had been searching a two-mile stretch of the Strawberry River in eastern Utah and the Coeur d'Alene River in Idaho, hoping to find the weapon used in the slayings.The search of the Strawberry River using underwater metal detectors and ground penetration equipment "uncovered nothing" other than a few junked cars, said Duchesne County Sheriff's Sgt. Wally Hendricks.
Hendricks also said authorities haven't turned up a shred of evidence to give credence to widespread rumors that a search of the river or a nearby ranch would turn up evidence of other slayings allegedly committed in the area.
Deputies and search and rescue volunteers spent a few days combing the Strawberry River for evidence shortly after the scattered remains of Rex K. Tanner, 48, and June Flood, 59, were found Oct. 31 buried on the JJNP Ranch southwest of Duchesne.
After those efforts failed to produce results, high-tech equipment was brought in to scan the river bottom.
John R. Pinder, 41, and Filimeno Valenchia-Ruiz have both been charged with two counts of capital murder in the deaths.
Pinder, who owns the JJNP Ranch with his father, is accused of shooting the couple, who had previously worked for him on his ranch, and then using dynamite to blow them up in an apparent attempt to cover up the crime.
Pinder and a girlfriend, Barbara Dehart, 44, who faces a felony charge of obstruction of justice in connection with the case, are accused of disposing of evidence that could link Pinder to the crime when they traveled through Idaho before authorities learned that Tanner and Flood were missing. Sheriff's deputies obtained search warrants for Pinder's property in the western side of the county, Hendricks said.
"There's no late-breaking news or big leads. We're basically hunkered down and doing a lot of office work right now," he said.
A bail hearing for Pinder is scheduled for Dec. 14 in 8th District Court in Duchesne.
Pinder continues to be held in the Wasatch County jail on $1 million cash only bail. Ruiz also remains in custody on a $1 million bond.