Three Killed, Two Idaho Children Missing
Kootenai County sheriff's Capt. Ben Wolfinger said Robert Roy Lutner answered questions but did not know much more about the case that was in the media nor did he have any information leading to the location of two children missing from the home.
Media reports said Lutner passed a polygraph test and is no longer considered a suspect in the case. Lutner turned himself in for questioning after he heard that police were looking for him in connection with the case.
Lutner told police that he attended a barbecue at the residence Sunday evening and did not know some of the other guests present. Authorities have asked others at the gathering to come forward so that they can be eliminated as suspects.
Search Continues, No Clues
Authorities searched around the home, in a rural area about eight miles east of Coeur d'Alene, looking for the missing children. Divers are searching ponds, a septic tank has been drained, but so far there is no sign of the youngsters.
Earlier poliice used a helicopter and dogs to search for the two Idaho children in the area immediately around the residence. The search area has now been widened.
Authorities found three people dead at the Coeur D'Alene, Idaho home after a neighbor called to report suspicious circumstances. Brenda Kay Groene, 40; her son Slade, 13; and Brenda's boyfriend Mark McKenzie, 37, all died from blunt force trauma, a coroner's report said.
Shasta and Dylan Groene
Sheriff Dept. photo
Missing are eight-year-old Shasta Groene and her nine-year-old brother, Dylan Groene, who lived in the house with their mother. Police said the mother and father of the missing children are divorced, but the father is not considered a suspect or a person of interest in the case.
Kootenai County Sheriff's Capt. Ben Wolfinger told Fox News that evidence from the crime scene indicated the children may have been taken alive, but he would not elaborate.
Update: A tip that two youngsters matching the description of Dylan and Shasta were seen in a van 20 miles from the Canadian border turned out to be a dead end, when authorities learned that the boy spotted in the van in Bonners Ferry had long hair, while Dylan has a crew cut.
See Also:
Tip Dismissed in Case of Missing Idaho Kids
Police Dismiss Tip in Idaho Slayings Case
Idaho Dad: 'Please, Please Return My Children'
Person Of Interest Cleared In Triple Homicide
Police: Murder Victims Were Bound
Person of Interest Sought in Idaho Siblings' Disappearance
3 Found Slain in Idaho; 2 Children Missing
Comments
This case has long since been solved. Young Dylan was also murdered and Shasta was found with the man responsible for the murders. She was sexually assaulted but is alive and now living with her father.