Convicted Killers Probed In 1988 Disappearance Of Hayward Girl
HAYWARD (KCBS) – There are some possible new developments in the search for kidnapped Hayward girl Michaela Garecht, who was snatched from a market parking lot more than 23 years ago.
The first possible development involves two convicted killers known in the 90s as the "Speed Freak Killers," believed to have killed as many as 19 people during a methamphetamine-fueled spree in the 1980s and 1990s.
One, Wesley Shermantine, who is on death row for four murders, may lead investigators to the Central Valley soon, where he said at least a dozen victims are buried.
KCBS' Rebecca Corral Reports:
His partner, Loren Herzog, who was out on parole after his murder convictions were overturned, killed himself nearly two weeks ago after learning that Shermantine was talking to police.
"There has been some sort of document sent to a local paper indicating that Herzog or Shermantine were involved somehow in Michaela's abduction," said Hayward police Lt. Roger Keener. "Unfortunately, it's too early for us to tell right now. We're waiting for San Joaquin County to finish up in their investigation and then we plan to pick it up and find out exactly what connection, if any, there is."
Now, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is helping Hayward police.
"They were here two weeks ago and we recently made a request to have their investigators come back again," said Keener. "We would plan on assigning some investigators to work with them for a week."
Keener said that three leads out of 13,000 received are emerging as the strongest, most viable leads, although he didn't go into detail about them.
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