CALAVERAS COUNTY, CA - San Joaquin County Sheriff Steve Moore told murder victim Chevy Wheeler's mother that human remains found in Calaveras County Friday belong to Chevy, Paula Wheeler said.
For the second day in a row, sheriff deputies, volunteers and canines found human bones in the ongoing search for victims of serial killers Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog.
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Friday's search took place off Leonard Road in the foothills above San Andreas. The partial skull and bones were uncovered about 40 yards from a home on property Shermantine's family once owned.
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Searchers are using a map Shermantine made on San Quentin's death row where he is incarcerated.
Moore said told Paula Wheeler the clothes found with the remains match the clothing Chevy was wearing when she disappeared. Chevy, 16, was last seen in 1985.
Shermantine was convicted in 2001 of the murder of Wheeler, Cyndi Vandenheiden, Paul Cavanuagh and Howard King.
Searchers uncovered a skull on Thursday that may belong to Vanderheiden.
Paula Wheeler, who now lives in Tennessee, said the sheriff's department called her to say searchers believe they have found her daughter based on information Shermantine provided.
She said today was "a happy day" and she's "been waiting to hear this for a long time."
Shermantine was offered money from bounty hunter Leonard Padilla to disclose burial locations of his victims.
Searchers also are excavating a well near the San Joaquin County town of Linden. Shermantine claims Herzog disposed of several bodies there.
"We went down 25 feet. It is an abandoned well. Due to the sheer volume of tailings to be taken out of there, it's going to be a slow process. It could be days," said Deputy Dave Konecny with the sheriff's department.
Herzog committed suicide last month.
News10/KXTV and The Associated Press