SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, CA - The searches started 12 years ago. The San Joaquin County Sheriff brought out cadaver dogs, military radar technology, and field crews with shovels to dig up areas east of Stockton and remote areas of Calaveras County, all searching for remains of victims of convicted killers and boyhood friends Wes Shermantine and Loren Herzog.
"It wouldn't be a problem for someone with that kind of back-woods knowledge to dump a body and it could remain undiscovered for years," San Joaquin County detective Deborah Scheffel said back in January 14, 1999 during a search of Calaveras County.
On Friday the Sheriff's Office conducted another search on the property belonging to Shermantine's family in Calaveras County, prompted by a letter Shermantine wrote to the Stockton Record with details of a new location. The search also turned up nothing.
"There's been at least 20 occasions looking for bodies over the course of several years and so far we've come up with nothing," said Sheriff Office spokesman Les Garcia, who said the department is skeptical of leads Shermantine provides in his letters to media.
Parolee Herzog committed suicide on January 17. Now, answers on body locations can only come from Shermantine. On death row in San Quentin, Shermantine denies killing anyone, but said he'd show investigators the locations of bodies if he can collect a $33,000 reward from celebrity bounty hunter Leonard Padilla.
"I want my daughter's remains brought back, so we can bury her," said John Vanderheiden, whose daughter Cynthia Vanderheiden was murdered by Shermantine and Herzog. Her body was never recovered. "The only way I can think of is if Shermantine points out where the bodies are."
Cold Cases Back in the Spotlight
Shermantine and Herzog, both of Linden, were arrested in 1999 for a number of murders throughout the Valley area in the 80s and 90s. Shermantine was convicted of killing four people and sentenced to death. Herzog was convicted of three slayings, received 78 years to life, but was released on parole in 2010 after an appeals court threw out much of his case.
The 6th District Appeals Court cited improper interrogations conducted by Stockton Police Officers Cliff Johnson and Rick Ragsdale, who ignored Herzog's request for an attorney, and the totality of circumstances in Deputies Antonio Cruz and Joseph Herrera interrogations produced coerced statements from Herzog.
While on death row, Shermantine wrote several letters to media and tried to track down retired FBI agent, Jeff Rinek, best known for his work in the Yosemite Serial Killer case of Cary Stayner. Shermantine said he'd tell the location of victims' remains to Rinek.
In a phone conversation with Rinek, he said Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani arranged for him to meet with Shermantine on death row. Rinek's interview was conducted in the presence of three California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation authorities. No details of the cases were discussed, just the location of the bodies and the condition of the bodies at those locations. Rinek said he found Shermantine to be credible.
"My purpose and goal, and the extent of my participation in this case is to provide the credibility of Shermantine's statements - whether he can recover the bodies," said Rinek. "That's best accomplished by putting him on the site. My role stops when Shermantine points."
Bounty hunter, Leonard Padilla, had learned of the meeting between Rinek and Shermantine. Padilla later phoned Herzog at his trailer by the High Desert Prison to tell him Shermantine was talking about victim locations.
Herzog committed suicide shortly after that phone conversation.
Padilla and two state parole and prison authorities came up with a plan to take Shermantine to the place he claims he buried Cyndi Vanderheiden in 1999. Shermantine also said he'd show where he buried Chevelle Wheeler, 16, in 1985 and a covered well in Linden where 10 or more bodies were dumped.
A New Battle
Sheriff Steve Moore called a meeting with Calaveras County's sheriff, FBI, corrections officials, and the district attorney last week, which halted the plan to transport Shermantine to identify locations. Moore feared a security concern in transporting Shermantine with so many non peace officers knowing about the operation.
"Mr. Padilla and his group had far too much info about moving a death row inmate," said Garcia. "Padilla even called Herzog with this information." Garcia went on to say the Sheriff's concerns were both for Shermantine's safety and public safety if too many people knew Shermantine was out of prison. Garcia also said there are complications with citizens searching the area and possibly uncovering a crime scene, and Shermantine's letters have been bogus leads for many years.
Vanderheiden said he's angry over Sheriff Moore's halting the operation. "He stopped it from happening. If he's worried people will find out about, I didn't even know about it until the Sheriff revealed it," said Vanderheiden. "I think this thing would have been over and done with if he hadn't said anything and we'd have closure."
On Monday afternoon, Sheriff Moore will hold a press conference to "set the record straight" on several details in the search investigation.
News10/KXTV