Manhunt for Shane Miller: Day 15

◼ Manhunt for Shane Miller: Day 15 - Times-Standard

Miller has a criminal record and served time in prison. Authorities consider Miller armed and dangerous.

Community members are encouraged to call the sheriff's office at 445-7251 or the tip line at 268-2539 if they see anything suspicious or 911, in the event of an emergency.

Latest update: Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Lt. Wayne Hanson said Wednesday there is nothing new to report and the office is still following any leads it receives.

”We have two officers in the area 24 hours a day,” Hanson said. He said tracking dogs and dogs used to find cadavers are no longer being used.

Humboldt County Sheriff Mike Downey has said the most likely scenarios are Miller has killed himself or left the area.

Search for Miller escalates in Mattole Valley manhunt; Tour of the Unknown Coast sees loss in participation

◼ Search for Miller escalates in Mattole Valley manhunt; Tour of the Unknown Coast sees loss in participation - Catherine Wong/The Times-Standard

As the Mattole Valley manhunt for triple homicide suspect Shane Miller entered its fourth day, more law enforcement officials joined the search even as authorities lifted checkpoints for hundreds of bicyclists in Saturday's 35th Annual Tour of the Unknown Coast.

As of Saturday, more than 70 deputies and officers from the Humboldt and Shasta county sheriff's offices; the Fortuna, Arcata, Eureka and Rio Dell police departments; the California Highway Patrol; the Humboldt County, Shasta County, Sonoma County and California Department of Corrections SWAT teams; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Bureau of Land Management; CalFire and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are involved in the search, according to a press release.

Search teams are using a specialized communications truck -- brought by the U.S. Marshals Service-- and helicopters from CHP's Redding airbase and the Kern County sheriff's office. Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Lt. Steve Knight said they are also using tracking dogs and a plane.

Miller, 45, is the lone suspect in the killing of his wife and two daughters Tuesday night at their Shingletown home in Shasta County before fleeing roughly 200 miles west to the Mattole Valley area. Officials say he is considered armed and “extremely dangerous.”

◼ Shelter in Place Request Lifted—Caution Still Advised as Authorities Search for Homicide Suspect, Shane Miller - Kym Kemp/Lost Coast Outpost

SHANE FRANKLIN MILLER, White male adult, 45 years old, 5-10, 200 lbs blue eyes, red hair.

Believed to be armed and dangerous. If sighted call 911

Anyone with information for the Sheriffs Office regarding this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Sheriffs Office at 707-445-7251 or the Sheriffs Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539.

Manhunt in Humboldt for suspected killer; father suspected of shooting wife, 2 daughters; officials on the lookout in Petrolia area

◼ UPDATED: WOMAN, DAUGHTERS SHOT TO DEATH - Record Searchlight staff
◼ Shane Franklyn Miller, 45, is being sought by deputies and is considered armed and dangerous. Via Times-Standard

...(A) woman and her two daughters found dead Tuesday night at their home suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

"The husband and father was responsible for the alleged 3 homicides," said Lt. Dave Kent at a press conference this afternoon.

The three victims, 34-year-old Sandy Miller, and two daughters, Shelby Miller, 8, and Shasta Miller, 4, were found dead at their home on the 28400 block of Alpine Way. The children's father, Shane Franklyn Miller, 45, is the lone suspect sought by deputies and is considered armed and "extremely dangerous."

Deputies said they couldn't go into details about why they believe Shane Miller killed his family. They said they couldn't confirm what Miller used to allegedly shoot his family.

At a press conference held this afternoon, sheriff's officials said they entered the home Tuesday and found the three victims with gunshot wounds.

Lt. Tom Campbell said that an alert issued earlier this afternoon contained incorrect information about the suspect's vehicle. Authorities are still looking for a gold 2010 Dodge Mega Cab pickup truck with a camper shell, license plate 8Z75988.

They received a 911 call from the home around 7:45 p.m., but deputies wouldn't say who called authorities, except that the call came from the home where the victims were killed.

Deputies said there had been a domestic disturbance at the home in April, but said they couldn't confirm whether a domestic dispute played a part in the shooting.

An alert issued by law enforcement at about 10:30 a.m. today said Miller, whose birthday is today, was possibly headed to a cabin in Ferndale, where he may have a cache of weapons.

◼ Humboldt Connection in Shasta Triple Murder - Kym Kemp/Lost Coast Outpost (watch for updates)

Miller is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs 200 pounds and has red hair and blue eyes, sheriff’s Lt. Tom Campbell said. He is driving a gold 2010 Dodge Mega Cab pickup with a camper shell and California license plate of 8Z75988, according to the Sheriff’s Office

◼ ...Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Lt. Steve Knight said an active search was being conducted Wednesday evening in the Mattole Valley area of Petrolia for triple homicide suspect Shane Franklyn Miller, 45. The sheriff's office reported the discovery of the gold 2010 Dodge Mega Cab pickup truck Miller had been reported driving earlier, parked and vacant on the 30000 block of Mattole Road.... - Redding Searchlight and Times-Standard staff
◼ Vehicle of Suspect in Shasta County Triple Slayings Found at Mouth of Mattole - Kym Kemp/Lost Coast Outpost (watch for updates)

UPDATES FROM LOST COAST OUTPOST:

◼ Mattole Schools Close as Manhunt Continues - Kym Kemp 5/8
◼ Sheriff Downey: Where We’re At in the Mattole Manhunt - Kym Kemp 5/9
◼ Afternoon Manhunt Update: No Leads to Report, But Tour of the Unknown Coast Will Go Forward - Hank Sims 5/9
◼ Photos of Petrolia as Hunt for Triple Homicide Suspect Continues - Kym Kemp 5/9
◼ Dead Body Rumors Unfounded, Says Lt. Hanson - Kym Kemp 5/10
◼ No News From the Shane Miller Manhunt in the Mattole Valley - Hank Sime 5/10
◼ More Officers Arrive to Search for Triple Homicide Suspect - Kym Kemp 5/10

UPDATES FROM TIMES-STANDARD:

◼ Sheriff's office: Triple murder suspect's truck found on Mattole Road; stay indoors - 5/8
◼ Second Update: Mattole manhunt continues, Miller an ex-convict - 5/9

Murder suspect Shane Miller has been in trouble with the law before, according to the Associated Press.
In 2002, Miller was charged in San Francisco with making and selling marijuana for distribution, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing a machine gun and money laundering, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a gun and was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison. He was released in May 2007, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons.

◼ Third update: Search for Miller ongoing in Petrolia after truck sighted - 5/8

◼ Humboldt manhunt continues; search for suspected killer leaves Petrolia area residents on edge - Kaci Poor 5/10

There are obvious similarities between this search and the 2011 manhunt in Mendocino County for Aaron Bassler, the 35-year-old man wanted in the killings of two men in the Fort Bragg area, Downey said. In both cases, the wanted men were believed to be armed, dangerous and familiar with the region in which they were hiding.

”There are also distinct differences,” Downey said. “The area we are looking at searching is not as containable as the Jackson State Forest region where Bassler was hiding. This area is very rugged and forested. It is going to have its own set of problems.”

◼ Gunshot victim found in Myers Flat, unrelated to manhunt - 5/11
◼ Mattole manhunt continues Friday with ramped-up effort; classmates remember Miller as experienced outdoorsman - Kaci Poor/The Times-Standard 5/11

Miller spent his freshman year of high school living with Zachary Davis on Cleveland Street in Ferndale. Davis said his family regularly took on young boarders from Petrolia or Honeydew so they could attend high school in Ferndale or Fortuna. Mattole Triple Junction High School in Petrolia wasn't built until the 1990s, he explained.

Davis remembers Miller as a mean, angry 14-year-old with a penchant for cruel practical jokes.
”I didn't care to know him, and I didn't try to get to know him either,” Davis said. “I was not surprised at all when I saw his name in the paper. What surprised me the most is that it took him this long to do something this evil.”

Davis said Miller -- like most young people raised in the Mattole Valley -- could take care of himself in the wild. Miller could build a fire and a lean-to, Davis said.

”When you're raised out there, you are brought up a little differently,” he said. “You are taught about guns really young, you know how to hunt, set snares and traps. I think Shane could take care of himself out there, but I don't know for how long -- I guess it just depends on what gear he's got.”
Davis said he thought it was unlikely that anyone in the community would want to help Miller, even if he did contact old friends....

Knight said the sheriff's office has not canceled the Tour of the Unknown Coast, which is set to ride down Mattole Road today. Knight said a law enforcement presence will be posted along the route as a safety precaution.

The Bureau of Land Management's Arcata Field Office posted notice that the King Range National Conservation area, including the Lost Coast Trail, would be closed until further notice. Knight said he hopes the public honors the closure.

”We want people to stay out of there for their own safety,” he said. “Having people hiking around complicates things. It is a safety issue for them and for our staff.”

Anyone with information
on his whereabouts should call 911
or the sheriff's office at 245-6540.