We've had a lot of cases in the news lately of dads "allegedly" murdering their children and then "disappearing" the bodies. This isn't something that started last week. We've seen a lot of this over the past decade or so, especially as these criminals who happen to be fathers develop more and more of a sense of entitlement and "ownership" of "their" kids.
The case of dad MANUEL GEHRING was very big in 2003. Contrary to all the propaganda that was common at the time, Gehring had shared custody of the kids, but was nevertheless still in a custody "dispute" with the mother (i.e. endlessly harrassing her for total control). When the kids were supposed to be returned to their mother, Gehring shot and killed the children and buried their bodies "somewhere" along the Interstate. Of course, all the fathers rights people back then were united in their belief that Daddy was the True Victim in all this--presumably because the awful Family Courts hadn't managed to totally eliminate the mother from the picture. The notion that two terrified children had been shot to death and then presumably dumped in anonymous graves didn't seem to bother them too much.
Gehring eventually confessed to the crimes, but committed suicide in February 2004 before he could be tried. It was said that he never expressed any remorse for what he did. It was not until 2005 that the children's graves were found near Hudson, Ohio-- nearly 2 1/2 years after their disappearance.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/r/2347216/detail.html
Missing Children's Father Indicted On Murder Charges
Search For Siblings Bodies Continues
POSTED: 2:09 pm EDT July 21, 2003 UPDATED: 6:12 pm EDT July 21, 2003
CONCORD, N.H. -- The father of two missing New Hampshire children has been indicted on two counts of first-degree murder.
Jack Harper Reports On Indictment
Newscenter 5's Jack Harper reported that Manuel Gehring is expected to soon return to New Hampshire to face charges.
"Manuel Gehring has been indicted by the Hillsborough County grand jury for two counts of first-degree murder relating to the deaths of his children, Sarah and Phillip," said New Hampshire Attorney General Peter Heed on Monday afternoon.
Investigators said Gehring shot his children somewhere in Hillsborough County, N.H., presumably as he was beginning his cross-country drive. Investigators believe he drove at least part of the way through Pennsylvania with the bodies of his two children in his car. Gehring's children, Sarah, 14 and Phillip, 11, were last seen leaving a Concord fireworks display with their father on the Fourth of July.
"What I can tell you is that the search has ended and we have not been able to locate the bodies in this case. However, we continue to strategize and try to reconfigure our search on a daily basis and that is what we intend to keep on doing. We will put substantial resources into trying to locate the bodies and expect to release additional information that may be helpful to the public," said New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Strelzin.
Investigators searched areas along Interstate 80 in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, but the five-day search turned up no traces of the missing children. Gehring allegedly traveled the route on his way to California. Authorities will not confirm if Gehring was helping with the search.
"We hope he will be arriving noon or shortly thereafter. We anticipate he will be initially brought to the Concord Police Department for processing and will be arraigned shortly thereafter," said Heed.
Gehring will be arraigned on the lesser charge, interfering with the child custody case, in Concord District Court. The two counts of murder will be heard in the Hillsborough Superior Court in Manchester, N.H. Previous Stories:
July 21, 2003: Father Of Missing Kids Expected Back In N.H. Monday
July 18, 2003: No Sign Of Missing Siblings
July 18, 2003: Search For Missing N.H. Kids Expands To Illinois
July 18, 2003: Missing Children Search Centers On Indiana
July 17, 2003: Authorities Search Indiana Highway For Missing N.H. Kids
July 17, 2003: N.H. Dad's Defenders Worried About Where He Is
July 16, 2003: Missing Kids' Dad On The Ground, But Not In N.H.
July 16, 2003: Missing Children's Father Headed To N.H.
July 15, 2003: Missing Children's Dad Turned Over To N.H. Officials
July 15, 2003: Missing Children's Dad To Be Brought Back To N.H.
July 14, 2003: Missing Children's Father Appears In Court