Police: Bodies Found May Be Missing Kids

AP ^ | 12/2/5 | M.R. KROPKO

[SmithL]

Hudson, Ohio -- Two bodies discovered in Ohio may be those of two New Hampshire children whose father confessed to killing them and burying them somewhere along a 700-mile stretch of the Midwest 2 1/2 years ago, authorities said Friday.

Police and the FBI said a dog that bolted from its owner during a walk Thursday found two shallow graves with human remains wrapped in plastic near Interstate 80, also known as the Ohio Turnpike.

Scott Wilson, a spokesman with the FBI's Cleveland office, said he could not comment on the gender or age of the bodies, but added: "We're looking into the possibility the bodies might be linked to those missing kids."

If tests confirm the remains are those of Sarah and Philip Gehring of Concord, N.H., the discovery will end a long and frustrating search that ranged 700 miles across the Midwest.

Sarah, 14, and Philip, 11, were shot to death by their father, Manuel Gehring, as he fled across the country in July 2003. Gehring confessed to the slayings but strangled himself in prison before he could be tried.

He told police he buried the children somewhere along a stretch of interstate between Pennsylvania and Iowa, but he could not pinpoint the spot. He described the site as having tall grass, concrete pipes, a wire fence, an old water pump and a yellowish building.

Extensive searches turned up no evidence of the graves, and some officials despaired of ever finding the bodies.

[SmithL]

RIH, Gehring

[Brilliant]

He should be the 1001st.

[MaineVoter2002]

God by now they must be nothing but bones I would imagine. How can they know?

[ops33]

DNA, dental records, clothing, etc.

[steveo]

Gehring confessed to the slayings but strangled himself in prison before he could be tried.

He's already dead Jim.

[dead]

Police and the FBI said a dog that bolted from its owner during a walk Thursday found two shallow graves with human remains wrapped in plastic

It’s always weird to me that untrained dogs get really excited to find old human bones. Why do they do this?

[SJSAMPLE]

We've known that they're dead for some time.
At least the mother will be able to bury her children and properly mourn them.

I honestly cannot think of a punishment for child killers that is painful enough?

[Frank_Discussion]

No, no rest. Constantly turning on a spit, demons feasting noisily on him. May he never run out of flesh...

[ninergold3]

That will save the tax payers money.

At the very least, the children's family will be able to have some closure. How sad for them.

[adamsjas]

DNA, dental records, clothing, etc.

Holes in the head would be a pretty good clue, don't ya spoze?

[TheSpottedOwl]

Did he offer up a reason why he murdered his own children?

[coloradan]

It's in their bones.

[Restorer]

It’s always weird to me that untrained dogs get really excited to find old human bones. Why do they do this?

Dogs generally like anything that is decaying.

[TCats]

I might be wrong but I think he's already gone - Suicide.

[PureTrouble]

Finger prints on the plastic is probably the fastest tool.

[Tolkien]

No, no rest. Constantly turning on a spit, demons feasting noisily on him. May he never run out of flesh

..and that's on a good day.

[Old Grumpy]

At least this monster killed himself, instead of living off the taxpayers by being in prison indefinitely. Good riddance.

[Wolfstar]

It’s always weird to me that untrained dogs get really excited to find old human bones. Why do they do this?

Because dogs are carnivores and do not naturally (without specialized training) make a distinction between old bones of any species.

[Daus]

untrained dogs get really excited to find old human bones. Why do they do this?

Bones is bones. My Boxer almost ripped my arm out of it's socket two days ago because she caught wind of a chicken bone that had fallen out of my neighbors curbside garbage bag. We were about 30 feet from it when she bolted.