-Caveat Lector- NOVEMBER 01, 22:00 EST Body Found May Be Southwest Suspect By STEVEN K. PAULSON Associated Press Writer DENVER (AP) � Navajo hunters found a decomposing body in the Utah desert that is believed to be one of two survivalists being sought in the killing of a police officer last year, authorities said Monday. The killing of the officer in Cortez had prompted a major manhunt across the Four Corners area in 1998. The body was dressed in military clothing, had a bulletproof vest, a Kevlar helmet and two pipe bombs, said Russell Johnson, assistant chief of the Cortez police department. ``We definitely believe it's one of our suspects,'' Johnson said. Johnson said a group of hunters found the body Sunday night in southeast Utah near Cross Canyon. Johnson said the body was well hidden and had been there long time, ``say since this thing probably started.'' Authorities were trying to confirm the identity of the body and determine the cause of death. A positive identification from dental records could take three days or more. FBI agents were being sent to help with the investigation. ``The clothing and items lead us to believe it was one of the suspects involved in the murder of the officer in Cortez, Colorado,'' FBI spokeswoman Jane Quimby. Two survivalists, Alan Lamont Pilon and Jason Wayne McVean, were wanted in the May 29, 1998, killing of Cortez police officer Dale Claxton. A third fugitive, Robert Mason was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot days later about 55 miles away near Bluff, Utah after he wounded a deputy. ``We were looking for two (suspects),'' Johnson said. ``Now we believe we're only looking for one and that helps. We believe we've gotten two of the three. We need a third one to put a closure to this.'' The three men were suspected of shooting Claxton during a routine traffic stop on a bridge southeast of Cortez. Three men driving a stolen water truck opened fire with automatic weapons, hitting Claxton and his cruiser 26 times before he could even unbuckle his seat belt. In the ensuing chase and shootout, two Montezuma County sheriff's deputies were wounded. Pilon and McVean disappeared into the Utah desert across the state line from Cortez. At the height of the nine-day search, more than 500 searchers from 51 agencies joined the effort, including the FBI, police and sheriff's deputies on horseback and in helicopters. ``There's no doubt in my mind he's one of the two,'' San Juan County Sheriff Mike Lacy told KSL Radio on Monday. Initial searches of the suspects' homes turned up literature protesting tactics used by the Internal Revenue Service. Police also found maps with circles, indicating caves along Montezuma Creek, places to hide out and stash food. Police learned the suspects had been going into the area for two or three years, with only enough food for a week. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
