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May 14, 2007

Manor murder investigation expands

Tips lead to Canada and Vermont; rifle missing from camp

By DAN HEATH

MOOERS -- The Darcy Manor murder investigation has expanded into Canada and Vermont, based on a number of leads, police said.

State Police Capt. Robert LaFountain said 172 leads had been received as of 1 p.m. Sunday.

LaFountain again stated Manor, 35, died as a result of a gunshot wound. He said the murder weapon had not been recovered, and it is believed the perpetrator or perpetrators are armed.

Manor was shot Thursday evening at Churubusco Lodge, a hunting camp on Drown Road in the town of Mooers. His body was found at 12:11 a.m. Friday by a friend who joined the search when Manor failed to return home Thursday evening.

"There is a high-powered rifle missing from the camp," LaFountain said.

Whether that weapon is the murder weapon can't be determined until it is recovered and a ballistics test is conducted, LaFountain said.

Manor was the owner of DJ's Repair Shop in Ellenburg Center. He closed shop at about 5 p.m. Thursday. He then went to do some work at the camp, which is about a mile from the Canadian border.

Sunday, police continued searching for Manor's teal 1992 Ford pickup truck, New York state license plate 35652JP. New York State Police Troop B Commander Maj. Richard Smith said it was equipped with a plow frame, yellow roof-mounted hazard light, bed-mounted toolbox and a noticeable dent in the tailgate.

LaFountain said people should be aware it would be very easy to modify the vehicle's appearance or to switch license plates.

Smith said information about the truck has been dispatched throughout the United States and Canada. He said no vehicles had been reported stolen in the area since the crime occurred and that there were a number of license plates at the lodge where the body was discovered.

Police also continued to search for a man who was seen on Drown Road around 4 p.m. Thursday. Nearby resident Marge Rushford told the Press-Republican Friday the man wore dark, baggy clothing and had dark skin, hair and very dark eyebrows.

Police also want to find a white male seen carrying a backpack and walking stick who was observed by more than one person while he was walking on Drown Road late Thursday afternoon.

The command center at the Mooers Fire Station will remain staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, police said. A large group of law enforcement officials, some on all-terrain vehicles and some on foot, continued Sunday searching the crime scene and nearby trails.

"We have secured what we believe to be a significant amount of evidence during the course of the investigation," LaFountain said.

The search involves State Police, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers, Clinton County Sheriff's Department and the Border Patrol.

Smith said a scuba team was again searching a man-made pond adjacent to the lodge Sunday afternoon.

LaFountain said law enforcement officials planned to conduct additional checkpoints in the region, and additional patrols continue throughout the area. Smith said if people are out and they pass a stranger who attempts to flag them down, they should call the State Police and report that location so police can investigate and provide assistance if needed.

LaFountain said as a matter of practice, the police would not be approaching people in their homes after early evening, and if they did it would be done using a marked police car.

"Be extremely cautious, take no chances, and report anything suspicious," he said.

That would include people acting out of the ordinary, such as not showing up for work, suddenly leaving the area, or exhibiting personality changes. If someone has a friend he or she has regular contact with and haven't heard from that person, they should also notify police, LaFountain said.

Smith said the surrounding community has provided a lot of support to the police, but more importantly to the Manor family. Manor leaves behind his wife, Heather, and two preschool-aged sons, Jake and Evan, as well as many other relatives.

It was undoubtedly a somber Mother's Day for them, Smith said, with a mother who has lost a son, a wife who has lost a husband and two children who have lost their father.

"They are certainly in the prayers (and) in the thoughts of the people in this community," he said.

dheath@pressrepublican.com

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