Body of Aaron Larson Wright 6, exhumed 30 yrs later

[MuffyBee]

http://cbs13.com/local/merced.county.exhumed.2.1695641.html
(with video)
Boy's Body Exhumed, 30 Years Later
May 14, 2010

The body of Aaron Wright was exhumed as part of an investigation into a series of disappearances.

MERCED, Calif. (CBS13) ―
   
The body of a six-year-old Merced County child has been exhumed as part of an investigation into a series of disappearances that have spanned decades, but the man authorities said is connected with the cases has flatly denied any involvement.

When Aaron Larson Wright drowned in a neighbor's pool nearly 30 years ago, his stepfather, Randal Wright, was babysitting. Since then, a total of three people associated with Wright vanished in the past two decades.

"It seems like everyone he comes in contact with is gone," said Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin.

Ten years after Aaron died, two drivers for Wright's tow truck company mysteriously disappeared. Authorities consider them victims of homicide, but the bodies of Steven Lombard and Paul Armstrong have never been found.

Detectives questioned Wright, but he was never a suspect.

Last year, Wright was the last one to see his soon-to-be ex-wife Karen before she vanished from the couple's Mexican vacation home. Wright was questioned in the case, but again, he was never named a suspect.

"He's a common denominator in the death and three persons disappeared," Sheriff Pazin said.

Randal Wright told CBS13 the investigation is without merit and a frustrating attack on his character.

"You can put all these things together and say, 'Oh my God, look at that!'" Wright said. "I knew all of those people, there's nothing I can do about that… but to say I am a guilty person because I have had bad things in my life? Give me a break?"

Authorities said there is no evidence Wright was responsible for the incidents, and little Aaron's body may be the only chance for answers.

The remains have been buried for three decades, and investigators say they don't know what evidence they'll find.

"I'm not going to be Pollyann-ish and say this is going to be CSI, and there's going to be the magic piece of evidence," Pazin said. "The investigation won't get any better with the passage of time."

Wright is not a named suspect in any of the cases.

"There is nothing that I have done here. They are reading and trying to see if I will do something stupid and make some mistake," Wright said, adding, "I very well could be doing that by talking to you."

The coroner began an autopsy on Aaron today, but there is no word if it has yielded any new clues.

Wright was arrested last year on unrelated perjury charges, and is out of custody on bail.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2010/05/14/1422806/merced-sheriffs-department-exhumes.html
Merced sheriff's department exhumes body of Randal Wright's stepson
May 14, 2010



The bizarre saga of Randal Wright took another strange turn Thursday as Merced County sheriff's detectives exhumed the body of the former tow truck company owner's 6-year-old stepson, Aaron Wright, who drowned in 1982.

Meanwhile, Randal Wright spoke to the Sun-Star for the first time Friday, saying the sheriff's department has made countless unfounded accusations against him, and claiming the media has slandered his name to no end.

Detectives from the department's Major Crimes Unit exhumed the boy's body from Evergreen Funeral Home and Memorial Park on Thursday, lifting the tiny casket from the dirt and placing it inside a coroner's truck.



The drowning, which happened at the home of Wright's neighbor in the 600 block of San Diego Court, was considered an accident in 1982, but Sheriff Mark Pazin said detectives are shining a new light on the boy's death. They have asked a forensic pathologist to examine the body. That suggests authorities may believe scientific advances since the boy's death may reveal clues not available to investigators 28 years ago.

Prior to exhuming the body, Pazin said investigators obtained a search warrant and consent from the boy's mother and Wright's ex-wife, Judy Larson. Pazin said it was the first time in recent memory that a body was exhumed from a cemetery for a local investigation.

Because the drowning happened in Merced, Pazin said the new investigation into the boy's drowning is being conducted jointly with Merced Police Department detectives.

News of the exhumation is the latest chapter in a series of questionable circumstances surrounding the 60-year-old ex-owner of RTS Towing.

For example, his 50-year-old wife, Karen Wright, disappeared in San Felipe, Mexico, in early February 2009. The last time her family members heard from her was a phone call placed from Mexico on Feb. 9 last year. Merced County sheriff's detectives ruled the case a homicide in September.

No suspects have ever been named in Karen Wright's disappearance, but Randal Wright remains a "person of interest" in the sheriff's investigation.

In another odd twist, two tow truck drivers who worked for his company, Steven Lincoln Lombard, 33, and Paul Armstrong, 28, vanished Dec. 17, 1993, after filing workers compensation claims against Wright's company. Armstrong was last seen at his West 25th Street home by his girlfriend as she left for work at 7:45 a.m. That same day, Lombard had made arrangements to meet his wife, Louise, to go Christmas shopping. He never arrived at that appointment, according to family members. No one has been named as a suspect in the men's disappearances, which is now considered a double homicide case.

While Pazin stopped short of calling Wright a suspect in the death of his stepson, he said there's a "common thread" of suspicious circumstances that cannot be ignored. "I just felt strongly about this, and there is a common denominator -- and I think it's pretty obvious that all the numerators are gone," Pazin said.

During the press conference, Pazin told a reporter "I'm not trying to be pithy with you, but it seems like everybody that he comes in contact with is gone." Pazin added "we have some theories about motives that I don't want to get into right now...but it's fairly obvious that the common thread through all these persons, or common denominator, is Randy Wright."

Randal Wright, who spoke to the Sun-Star on Friday, denied having any involvement in his stepson's drowning, saying he wasn't even home when the incident happened. He reiterated that he's never been considered a suspect in his stepson's drowning or the disappearance of his ex-wife, Lombard or Armstrong. "I have nothing to hide here. So much has been printed in your paper that is false," Wright said.

Wright also pointed out he filed a $15 million claim against Merced County in September, claiming false and slanderous statements made by the sheriff's department caused the demise of his business. He said the sheriff's department is trying to exploit the death of his stepson to do further damage to his name and reputation. "It's a damn shame that they are doing that, degrading and disgracing my ex-wife and her son through a terrible tragedy," Wright said. "(The sheriff's department) are trying to do anything they can to bolster their side of it."

Randal and Karen Wright had been married 12 years and had owned two houses in San Felipe.

Karen Wright's mother, Sonja Barnes, said her daughter suspected her husband may have been violating a court order prohibiting him from doing construction work on one of their San Felipe homes until their divorce was final. Prior to her disappearance, Barnes said Karen Wright had gone to check on the house.

Kim Stewart, the sister of Karen Wright, said Randal Wright was already in Mexico when her sister went there to check on the home. Stewart said Randal Wright later returned to Merced County from Mexico -- but never informed law enforcement in Mexico about his wife's disappearance.

Sgt. Jason Goins of the Merced County Sheriff's Department's Major Crimes Division confirmed Stewart's claim earlier this year, saying police in Mexico were never informed of Karen Wright's disappearance -- until Merced County sheriff's investigators went to Mexico and filed a missing persons report themselves.

Randal Wright said he'd been separated from his wife for several months and they were in the process of getting a divorce prior to Feb. 9 last year, the last time he saw her. He said she showed up mid-morning that day at their main residence in San Felipe, and that before noon they drove to their second home in separate vehicles because she wanted to take photos of some new construction there.

Wright said his wife was unhappy about their relationship, and told him at the house she was going to do something "that he would never get over," adding that he'd never be able to return to San Felipe. "We could just never get along, as far as the relationship," Wright said.

Wright said he left and went to a friend's house in San Felipe, where he spent the night. The next day, Wright said he returned to the couple's primary home in San Felipe. Although Karen Wright's H2 Hummer was parked at the home, he said she was nowhere to be found. Wright said he thought it was strange because his wife's two basset hound dogs were inside the car, with the windows partially down. "That's very unusual for Karen, because her dogs were her life," Wright said. "She'd never leave the dogs alone in her car."

He let the two dogs out of the Hummer, and then began going door-to door to neighbors in the area, searching for his wife. Wright said he and other residents looked for Karen Wright for about six hours, but she was nowhere to be found. Still, Wright said he figured his wife was playing a trick on him, particularly because of the statement she'd made.

Randal Wright said he also tried calling his wife on her cell phone, but she didn't pick up.

Regardless, Randal Wright said he wanted to inform law enforcement in Mexico about his wife's disappearance, but an attorney in San Felipe named Francisco Sosa advised him Mexican police wouldn't take any action unless his wife had been gone for three or four days.

Randal Wright said he had to be back in Merced County to handle payroll. As a solution, Wright claims Sosa said he'd file the missing persons report with Mexican police in Wright's absence.

Wright said he drove back to California from Mexico on Feb. 11, arriving in Merced around midnight. Wright said he informed the Merced County Sheriff's Department on Feb. 12 that his wife had been missing.

Court documents painted a violent picture of the couple's relationship, although Randal Wright claims otherwise. Karen Wright claimed in court documents that her husband had threatened her and physically abused her, saying that he told her that "he could kill her and nobody would know." She also said her husband broke her hand and "ripped out chunks" of her hair.

When asked Friday if he was ever violent toward his wife, or threatened her, Randal Wright replied "Absolutely not."

Wright said he has no idea what happened to Karen Wright and denies having any involvement in her disappearance. Even though he's never been named a suspect, Wright said he's being treated by the media and sheriff's department as if he's responsible. "I feel for her family -- and for what this has done to me. But I wish I had information. It's really easy for people to think, 'Oh, he did something," Wright said. "I am getting angry now. There is so much about this story with Karen's disappearance here and what they have done to me. It's unbelievable."

Regarding Armstrong and Lombard, Randal Wright said he had no knowledge of an insurance claim they filed against his company. Wright also said he knows nothing about how or why they vanished, adding that Armstrong wasn't even working for RTS Towing when he disappeared. "Not a bit," said Wright, when asked if he knows what happened to Armstrong and Lombard.

In the most recent case involving Wright, he was convicted in August of unlawfully taking a black Mercedes Benz G55 from a Fresno dealership in December 2008. Although Randal Wright had been leasing the car since April 2007, prosecutors said he was behind on his payments and had returned it to the dealer.

But the car later went missing from the dealership, only to turn up in San Felipe at a condo managed by Randal Wright's girlfriend in April 2009. Sheriff's deputies brought the car back to Merced County from Mexico and booked it as evidence.

Some of the evidence against Wright in the embezzlement case included a taped Feb. 13, 2009, phone conversation between him and Mercedes Benz Financial, where he explicitly denied picking up the car from the dealership. He also said he returned it in November 2008 and had never picked it back up, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said additional evidence included a taped phone call Wright placed from the Merced County Jail to his girlfriend in Mexico. During that phone call, Wright supposedly told the woman, "Black needs to take a permanent vacation," referring to the Mercedes.

Wright maintains the case was nothing more than a contract dispute, saying he'd tried to call the Fresno dealership to fix the matter. "How do you steal your own car?" he asked, saying the dealership never even issued a repossession order.

Randal Wright, who remains free on bail, was supposed to report to the Merced County Jail on May 6 to serve a six-month sentence on auto theft and embezzlement charges in that case. His attorney, Tom Gillis, however, filed a motion requesting an extension of time to report to the jail -- a request approved by Judge Brian McCabe.

Wright is now expected to report to the Merced County Jail on June 11 to serve his sentence.

Randal Wright asked for the extension because he'd requested to serve his sentence on an ankle-bracelet program at his Shingle Springs home in El Dorado County. The Merced County Sheriff's Department denied Wright's request, because of the 130-mile distance of Wright's Shingle Springs home from Merced County.

Randal Wright's embezzlement case had been scheduled for trial last year, but he decided in August to plead no contest to felony charges of embezzlement and taking a car without consent. He later asked to withdraw his no contest plea, saying he was impaired by prescription pain medication and was being pressured to enter the plea by his then-attorney, Tom Pfeiff.

McCabe denied Wright's request to change his plea.

[MuffyBee]

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=7442998
(with video)
Merced County Sheriff's exhume body of Randal Wright's step son
May 14, 2010

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Merced County Sheriff's Office is taking a new look at the death of a six year old Merced boy who drowned in 1982. His body was exhumed Thursday, and now we're learning why.
 The young boy is Aaron Wright. He's the step-son of Randal Wright, who has been named the only person of interest in his wife's disappearance. Randal also has ties to two other homicides. And now authorities are looking into whether his step-son's death was really accidental.

Pieces of plywood now cover the grave where Aaron Wright was buried in 1982. At the time, the six year olds death was ruled an accidental drowning. But now the Merced County Sheriff's Department is taking another look.

Sheriff Mark Pazin says he made the decision to exhume Aaron's body because of other suspicious circumstances surrounding his step-father, Randal Wright.

"It seems like everybody he comes in contact with is gone," said Sheriff Pazin.

The 60-year-old is the only person of interest in the disappearance of his third wife, Karen. She went missing during a trip to the couple's Mexican vacation home in February of 2009 in the midst of a messy divorce. Detectives say Randal was also there at the time, and he had threatened to kill her if she crossed the border. Karen's case has since been ruled a homicide, but her family is still searching for answers.

Karen Wright's sister, Kim Stewart said, "We're just trying to live each day by day and hope that justice will be served."

Two of Randal Wright's employees also disappeared in 1993, and their bodies have never been found. Wright has not been named a suspect in their double homicide case, and he is not considered a suspect in his step-son's drowning death. Aaron was found in the backyard pool of this home, right next door to the home where Randal Wright lived at the time with his second wife.

Sheriff Pazin said, "Randy was babysitting at the time during the July 1982 drowning." The Sheriff also says he doesn't know if exhuming the six year olds body will lead to any new evidence. But he feels now is the time to find out.

Action News spoke to Randal Wright on the phone, and he says he is mad and disgusted that the sheriff's office would disrespect his step-son by exhuming his body.

Wright says the information that's been released about him is filled with lies, and he is not guilty of any crimes. Wright is supposed to report to jail on June 11th to serve a six month sentence for auto theft. But he's trying to get an electronic ankle monitoring system instead.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kmjnow.com/pages/landing_news?Merced-Sheriff-Digs-Up-Boys-Body=1&blockID=235023&feedID=806
Merced Sheriff Digs Up Boy's Body
The Merced County Sheriff's Department announced Friday it had dug up the body of a 6-year-old boy who  drowned in 1982 -- in an effort to clear up a mystery involving the boy's step-father.

Aaron Larson died in 1982, and his death was ruled an accidental drowning.

Now, the boy's body has been dug up to seek clues about whether there were other circumstances surrounding his death.

The boy's step-father was Randal Wright -- whose wife Karen disappeared in Mexico a year ago while they were getting a divorce -- and who has never been found.

Her disappearance is considered a homcide.

In addition, two tow truck drivers employeed by Randal Wright filed a workers comp claim back in 1993.

They disappeared, never to be seen again.

Sheriff's department spokesman Tom MacKenzie told KMJ News that because Wright is connected with each of these cases, he is considered a "person of interest."

[MuffyBee]

Older article about Karen Wright Case:
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=700013
(with video)
Karen Wright Case now a Homicide Investigation
September 5, 2009
Merced County, Calif. (KFSN) -- The case of a missing Merced County woman has now been declared a homicide, and her husband is considered a person of interest.

A picture captures the last birthday Karen Wright celebrated with family members before disappearing in February. The 50-year-old was last seen at a vacation home she shared with her estranged husband in San Felipe, Mexico. And now Merced County Sheriff's detectives believe she is dead.

"With some of the information we're gleaning from the Mexican authorities, coupled with what we have and some of the inconsistencies of stories and order of events, we believe Karen Wright was murdered," said Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin.

Sheriff Pazin couldn't elaborate on what led to her case being declared a homicide because of the on-going investigation. But he did say Karen's husband, Randal Wright, is considered a person of interest.
Deputies arrested the 59-year-old earlier this year on auto theft related charges they discovered while investigating his wife's disappearance. He pleaded no contest to two felony counts last month and will be sentenced in October.

Sheriff Pazin said the illegal activity and other circumstances surrounding Randal Wright have similarities to the case against Dave Hawk, who was found guilty of murdering his ex-wife Debbie last week despite the fact her body has never been found. "We've been watching with great interest the Hawk case in Kings County, and there are some commonalities to that. Wife, ex-wife, money, all those are motives."

Detectives are also still investigating the disappearance of two of Wright's employees in 1993. Their bodies have never been found, and Wright has not been named a suspect in the double homicide. His attorney could not be reached for comment about the latest developments in Karen's case, but he has previously told Action News Wright has done nothing wrong. "I'm sure that if the police or district attorney thought there was enough evidence to charge him with anything else they would, and they're not," said Defense Attorney Tom Pfeiff.

Karen Wright's family members told Action News they suspected she was murdered all along, but hearing the homicide label still brought them to tears. They said they'll keep fighting for justice until someone is held accountable

[MuffyBee]

Older News Article Concerning Randal Wright:

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=6778010
(With Video)
New Charges against Husband of Missing Merced Woman
April 23, 2009

Merced, Calif. (KFSN) -- Randal Wright is now facing four felony counts, but none of them are related to his wife's disappearance.

Randal Wright appeared before a judge Thursday morning for a hearing to determine if there's enough evidence to send him to trial for auto theft. But the hearing was postponed because prosecutors have added embezzlement and insurance fraud charges to the complaint.

Deputy District Attorney Steven Slocom said, "The insurance fraud count is connected to the original reports on the theft of the vehicle."

Defense Attorney Tom Pheiff said, "We're contending that none of this is legitimate, these are small time allegations and really without basis, we just think we're going to prevail on this in the end."
Merced County Sheriff's Deputies said Wright dropped off a $105,000 dollar Mercedes at a dealership in Fresno, stopped making payments, and then stole it from the lot in December.

Mexican state police recently found the car at a property in San Felipe that's managed by Wright's alleged girlfriend, 45 year old Teresa Hutt. Detectives have now brought the car back to Merced, but they are still working to have Hutt extradited to face conspiracy charges.

"Detectives went down to the border to meet her to bring her back to arrest her on the $500,000 dollar warrant we have, when Mexican authorities got her to the border there was a problem with customs because she is a Canadian citizen and they couldn't deport her or extradite her into California," said Merced County Sheriff's Deputy Tom Mackenzie.

While in Mexico, detectives also continued their investigation into the disappearance of Wright's wife, Karen. The 50 year old was last seen at one of the couple's vacation homes in San Felipe in February. Family members said Karen was in the middle of a messy divorce when she went missing. Randal Wright is not facing any charges tied to her disappearance, but authorities say the investigation is on-going. "While they're down there of course they're gong to take advantage of everything they can and every chance they have to follow up on any leads down there," said Mackenzie.

Detectives are also actively looking into the disappearance of two of Wright's employees at R.T.S. Towing who went missing in 1993. But the 59-year-old has not been named a suspect in that case either.

Wright's defense attorney said authorities have no evidence against his client in any of the missing persons cases so they're pursuing smaller false accusations instead. But prosecutors claim the evidence to support these latest charges will come out during a hearing that's set for Monday.

[MuffyBee]

News article from last year:

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=6755417
(with video)
Randal Wrights Girlfriend Has Been Arrested
April 10, 2009
Merced, CA (KFSN) -- Merced County's Sheriff says the husband of a missing Merced woman has a long history of people he's close to ... Dying or disappearing.

Now Randal Wright and the woman detectives say is his girlfriend have both been arrested. But the charges they're facing are not related to his wife's disappearance.

Randal Wright walked into a Merced County courtroom Friday morning for his first hearing since walking out of jail last Saturday after posting a 390 thousand dollar bail. Wright is preparing to go to trial for allegedly filing a false stolen vehicle report and is also facing auto theft charges. But his attorney says Wright has done nothing wrong.

As the 59 year old entered another not guilty plea, Merced County Sheriff's Detectives crossed the border into San Felipe Mexico where they say Wright's girlfriend was arrested this week. Sheriff Mark Pazin says she was storing a 106 thousand dollar Mercedes that Wright stole from a Fresno dealership at a property she manages in Mexico.
But Sheriff Pazin says there is much more to the Randal Wright investigation than car related crimes. Wright's wife went missing in February while visiting one of their vacation homes in San Felipe, two of his employees at RTS Towing disappeared in 1993, and now the sheriff's office is reviewing the 1982 drowning death of Wright's six year old step-son from a previous marriage.

Wright has not been named a suspect in any homicide or missing persons cases, but Sheriff Pazin says the investigations are ongoing. Meanwhile Wright's defense attorney says there is no valid case against his client.

[MuffyBee]

Article from last year concerning Randal Wright:
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=6745064
Randal Wright Out On Bail
April 4, 2009

resno, CA (KFSN) -- A Merced man whose wife is missing bailed out of jail Saturday after spending 17 days in custody on unrelated charges.

Randal Wright is charged with perjury and auto theft, but prosecutors have

Said he could potentially be named a suspect in his wife's disappearance. Karen Wright went missing in February.

Two of Randal Wright's employees also disappeared in 1993 while working for his company, RTS towing.
But the 59 year old has not been named a suspect in that case either. Wright was being held on a $390,000 dollar bail.

[MuffyBee]

Article from last year concerning Randal Wright:
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=6740578
Randall Wright to Stand Trial on Perjury Charges
April 2, 2009

Merced, CA (KFSN) -- The list of criminal charges is growing against a Merced man whose wife is missing. But they're not connected to her disappearance.

A judge ruled there is enough evidence to send Randal Wright to trial for filing a false stolen vehicle report. And now he's facing a new charge after deputies say he stole a different car himself.

Randal Wright appeared briefly in an old Merced County courtroom before his preliminary hearing was moved to the main courthouse. The 58 year old showed little emotion as attorneys argued whether there's enough evidence to send him to trial on perjury charges.

Prosecutors say Wright filed a false stolen vehicle report for an SUV that was being kept in storage. But Defense Attorney Tom Pfeiff says Wright wasn't aware of the car's location. "The police report itself contradicts itself, and Mr. Wright has always maintained he doesn't know exactly when the car disappeared, it was gone and so he went and reported it," said Pfeiff.
Merced County Sheriff's Deputies say they discovered the false report while investigating the disappearance of Wright's wife, Karen. The 50 year old was last seen at one of the couple's Mexican vacation homes in early February ... just months after she filed for divorce. In court documents Karen claims her husband had threatened to kill her several times. Authorities have not accused Randal Wright in her disappearance, but prosecutors have said he could potentially be named a suspect, and Karen's sister fears he may have been involved. "I just have a deep feeling he had something to do with the disappearance of my sister," said Marsha Stewart.

Detectives have recently served several search warrants as part of Karen's case. They are also actively investigating the disappearance of two men who went missing in 1993 while working for Wright's company, RTS Towing. And now they say those investigations have revealed that Randal Wright committed a second crime. They claim he surrendered his 105 thousand dollar Mercedes Benz at a dealership in Fresno and then stole it back from the property last December.

"Right now we're still looking for it, it's outstanding, that's all I can say," said Deputy Tom MacKenzie.

Wright pleaded not guilty to the stolen vehicle charge on Thursday. Meanwhile, the judge ruled there is enough evidence to move forward on the perjury charge.

Randal Wright will be back in court later this month to face both charges. His bail is now set at 390 thousand dollars because the judge believes Wright could be a flight risk.

[MuffyBee]

Article from last year concerning Randal Wright:
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=6726926
(with video)
Randal Wright
March 25, 2009
Fresno, CA (KFSN) -- Randal Wright sat quietly in an orange jumpsuit during a video hearing to determine if his million dollar bail should be reduced.

The 58 year old is facing a perjury charge after authorities said he filed a false stolen vehicle report. But the deputy district attorney told the judge there is an ongoing investigation into his wife's disappearance and that Wright could potentially be named a suspect. He also said Wright's two homes in Mexico make him a flight risk. Defense attorney tom Pfeiff argued Wright has strong ties in Merced as the owner of RTS towing, and has only been charged with a low level felony.

The judge ultimately reduced the bail to $350,000, saying Karen Wright's disappearance did influence his decision. The 50 year old was reported missing February 12th. Randal Wright told deputies he had last seen her at one of their vacation homes in San Felipe, Mexico three days earlier.

Detectives are also investigating the disappearance of two of Wright's employees. Steven Lombard and Paul Armstrong went missing in 1993, but no suspects have ever been named in what's now considered a double homicide. Sergeant Jason Goins said the sheriff's department is once again aggressively working their case, as well as Karen Wright's disappearance. Deputies have served several recent search warrants for both cases.
That includes searches of Wright's home, his business, and a relative's house on Yosemite Parkway

The sheriff's department dive team also searched Don Pedro Lake using this sonar and video camera-equipped robot, seen here in a training exercise. However detectives could not say what they were looking for or whether they found anything due to the ongoing investigation.

Following Wednesday's hearing, sergeant Goins said he was disappointed Wright's bail was lowered, but respected the judge's decision. Pfeiff echoed that sentiment, but for the opposite reason.

[MuffyBee]

Article from 2009 concerning Randal Wright:

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=6719241
(with video)
Missing Merced Woman's Husband Arrested
March 19, 2009
Merced, CA (KFSN) -- Merced County Sheriff's Detectives investigating the disappearance of a Merced woman have arrested her husband on perjury charges.

50 year old Karen Wright has been missing since early February. Detectives looking into her disappearance say they discovered her husband made a false stolen vehicle report. Now he's in jail while her family continues to look for answers.

Detectives from the Merced County Sheriff's Department arrested Randal Wright at his home early Wednesday morning.

Wright lives on the same property where his company, R.T.S Towing, is based. Detectives say they discovered Wright had filed a false stolen vehicle report while they were investigating his wife's disappearance.
Sgt. Jason Goins said "In fact the car was in Butte County since December of 08, and he was aware of that, but he did report the car stolen."

Sgt. Jason Goins says Wright made the false report one day after reporting his wife missing on February 12th. The 58 year old told authorities he had last seen his wife Karen at their vacation home in San Felipe, Mexico on February 9th. Karen's sisters say she also called their mother that day, but that's the last time they ever heard from her.

Kim Stewart said, "It's been horrible dealing with wondering where she is and we can't go down there ourselves to find her."

Marcia Stewart said, "I want somebody to find Karen, find out what is going on with Karen, and I just want everybody to work, work really hard to find her."

Karen disappeared just months after she filed a petition for divorce. In court documents, she claims her husband had abused her and threatened to kill her several times. She writes, quote, "He always tells me he could kill me and nobody would know...he has joined a motorcycle club now and says if I do any harm to him - like divorce the gang will take care of me so he won't have blood on his hands."

Detectives say they have interviewed Wright about his wife's disappearance, but he has not been named a suspect.

Deputy Tom Mackenzie said, "Right now we're not discounting anyone as a suspect. We're keeping all leads open still an ongoing investigation. We're looking at it from every angle."

Karen Wright is not the first person with ties to R-T-S to go missing. Two drivers for the company mysteriously disappeared in December of 1993. Their case is now considered a double homicide, but the bodies of Steven Lombard and Paul Armstrong have never been found. Wright was also questioned following their disappearance, but neither he, nor anyone else was ever named as a suspect.

Wright is now being held in jail on a one million dollar bail. Detectives say one reason that amount is so high is because the property he owns in Mexico makes him a flight risk.

[Nut44x4]

Merced Sun-Star - RANDAL WRIGHT


Karen Stewart Wright