Search continues for murdered man's truck

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May 15, 2007

By SUZANNE MOORE The Press Republican Tue May 15, 2007, 07:32 AM EDT

MOOERS -- Police are scaling back the local ground search for evidence in the Darcy Manor murder case.

"I think we've exhausted all practical leads in the immediate vicinity," State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Capt. Robert LaFountain said Monday afternoon.

That, however, doesn't rule out the possibility that Manor, whose body was found early Friday at a Drown Road camp owned by Martin Lavin, was killed by local individuals, he added.

And it doesn't mean Manor's 1992 pickup truck, missing since sometime Thursday evening, is necessarily miles away.

"It could still be in the area but secreted," he said.

Locally, police continue to watch for the vehicle and respond to sightings. Trucks that meet the description of Manor's have been pulled over and then sent on their way, said State Police Troop B Commander Maj. Richard Smith.

At the request of Manor's family, he adjusted the description of the Ford pickup a bit.

"They described it as ... predominantly green," he said. "Perhaps not as bright as people associate with teal."

Information about the pickup has been circulated via computerized teletype to every law-enforcement agency in the United States and Canada, LaFountain said.

And Tuesday, the many agencies working on the case -- including New York State Department of Conservation Police -- will be joined by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which will bring specialized resources to assist in the search for Manor's killer or killers.

LaFountain praised the efforts of all participating agencies and said the investigation was continuing in high gear, with about 30 BCI and uniformed officers working out of the command center at Mooers Fire Station.

"There are others running down leads in other areas," he said.

As of Monday afternoon, 251 leads had been reported, 79 of those in the past 24 hours or so.

"And they continue to come in," Smith said.

No suspects had been narrowed down, however, and police released no further detail about the high-powered rifle missing from the camp except to again caution the public that there is a murderer or murderers on the loose who may be armed and are dangerous.

Police still hoped information would surface regarding two men seen walking, separately, along Drown Road on Thursday: one with dark skin and very dark eyebrows wearing dark, baggy clothing and a white male carrying a backpack and walking stick.

"If you have any suspicions, let us check them out," Smith said.

Not long ago, a local person helped build the case against David Couture, who allegedly murdered Mooers Forks woman Alphegina Snide on Oct. 27, 2006. Thanks to that lead, police were able to place Couture within a mile of Snide's home on the night she was killed.

"The public generally breaks a case for us," Smith said. "They really are the eyes and ears of the community."

smoore@pressrepublican.com