Evening star., 1955-06-29
Search Pushed
For Weapon in
Park Sayings
Police Check Leeds
On Mystery Man but
Get No Results


Barns and other outbuildings
ION the Christian Heurich estate
were to be searched today in the
hunt for the murder weapon in
the shooting of two teen-age
girls, two weeks ago in North
west Branch Park.
Capt. Roland B. Sweitzer, of
Prince Georges County police,
said the search also would be
broadened tc other specific areas
outside the park"
One of these is at the foot of
Merrimac street, north of Uni
Iversity lane and about mile
from the spot where the bodies
of Nancy Marie Shomette, 16,
and Michael Ann Ryan, IA, were
found.
Woman Sees Suspect
1t was at that spot that a
woman reported seeing the
"Pancho Villa" suspect in the
killings enter the basement of
an apartment building carrying
a rifle, and emerge a few min
utes later, still with the rifle.
Soldiers from C Company of
the 10th Engineer Battalion
were to aid In the search.
Crews also were to go into the
area Immediately surrounding
the scene for one. last look be-
fore bulldozers clear out the
lunderbrush. These crews were
to go over the ground with
lscythes ana axes to make sure
nothing had been overlooked in
Iprevious searches. The Prince
Georges County Park and Plan
ming Commission is going to
clear the area as soon as police
give the go-ahead.
Mine Detectors Used
Mine detector crews also were
continuing their search of
Northwest Branch, north from
Ager road toward the murder
scene. They scanned about 1000
yards of the stream late yester-
day, and have another 1000
yards to go today,
There was some skepticism to-
day about the "Pancho Villa"
suspect man seen in the park
the day of the slayings carrying
a rifle and wearing bandoliers
Iand a sheath knife.
Some officials pointed out that
lit is highly unlikely that anyone
using .22-caliber rife would
Iuse bandoliers to carry his car
Itridges. Also. these officials said,
witnesses who identified the rifle
las a .22-caliber weapon may have
been mistaken, since none of
them inspected it closely.
Several leads on the mystery
man have been checked without
result. One was a drunk ar
rested on the Ellipse yesterday
lafternoon.
Cleared After Questioning
Pvt. Eugene "A. Gross, a mo-
torcycle officer who picked up
the man, said he had a two or
Ithree-week- -old beard, a weary"
expression and other character
istics which fitted the suspects
description. He was cleared
after questioning. however.
A mail truck drivers story
about picking up a hitchhiker
last night touched off another
furry of excitement in the hunt
for the mystery man.
The driver said man tagged
him at a traffic signal on Route
II just north of Laurel. Md, and
said he had to get to college
City In a hurry"
The driver picked him up,
and at Route / and Queens
Chapel road the man asked to
be let out. When the mail truck
stopped. the man leaped out
and ran rapidly away. He was
described as about % years old,
about 5 feet 10 inches tall and
weighing about 210 pounds. He
had dark bushy hair and wore
Iold clothing.
Although police are seeking a
slender "Pancho," they sent
cars speeding to the area within
10 minutes after the man left
the mail truck. He was not
found.
The last trace police have of
the suspect came from infornaa-
ton given in an anonymous tele.
phone call from a woman who
said she had seen the man en-
tering the Langley Park apart
ments In the 1900 block of Mer-
rimac street the day of the slay-