HEBER CITY — Now that the double murder trial of John R. Pinder is over, Duchesne County sheriff's officials can turn their attention to other reports they are receiving — that more bodies are buried on the Pinder ranch southwest of Duchesne.
Sheriff Ralph Stansfield said that when officials first began searching for Rex K. Tanner and June Flood after the two were reported missing in October 1998, investigators received several calls saying the "two missing people" were in the trunk of a car buried on the Pinder ranch. However, Stansfield said the two missing people to which the callers were referring were not Flood and Tanner, but two "party girls" that allegedly were hired and brought from Arizona to entertain at a party on the ranch.
"For a while there we were kind of confused as to which two missing people we were looking for," Stansfield said.
Investigators have been told that two prostitutes were allegedly injected with the same tranquilizer fluid used to tame Pinder's pet lion, put in a trunk and buried, Stansfield said.
"We have heard those rumors and we will look into those rumors," the sheriff said.
Testimony in Pinder's murder trial the past month, where Pinder was convicted of killing Tanner and Flood and blowing up their bodies, revealed that partying, drinking and drug use were prevalent on the Pinder ranch.
Investigators have questioned Filomeno Valenchia-Ruiz, also convicted in the killings of Tanner and Flood, about the "party girl" case. Valenchia-Ruiz was the prosecution's main witness in the Tanner and Flood case, saying he accompanied Pinder when the two former ranch hands were beaten, shot and then blown up.
Valenchia-Ruiz reportedly told investigators that he had heard people on the ranch talk of the "party girl" killings but was not present at any party with the girls and has no information about any killings other than the Tanner and Flood murders.
Stansfield said investigators would likely only search the Pinder ranch for the "party girls" and the car if they receive better information on where the alleged buried car is located.
"Because we've been so busy with (the Flood and Tanner) case, we put those reports on the back burner, but now we'll decide if there is anything to them," Stansfield said.
Investigators have also checked with Arizona authorities about missing women reports but found "there are many" cases of missing women in Arizona.
E-mail: jimr@desnews.com