Authorities search remote California area for gunman linked to killing, kidnapping, deputy shooting

reporting from Weldon, Calif. —  The manhunt for a suspected killer continued Tuesday in an isolated wilderness area east of Bakersfield, days after a shootout left two Kern County sheriff’s deputies wounded.

More than 75 deputies, including SWAT members from Los Angeles County, scoured a five-mile area for the unidentied gunman who authorities say shot and killed a retired dentist, kidnapped three men and injured two deputies.

So far, there have been no sightings or signs of the gunman, who is believed to be camouflaged in olive-green apparel and hiding in a barren landscape centered at Jawbone Canyon and Kelso Valley roads.

He could be taking refuge in abandoned mines, caves or along twisting dirt roads, said sheriff’s spokesman Ray Pruitt.

“The is goal is to find him and take him into custody,” Pruitt said.

The small community of Weldon, which rarely sees any significant crime, is on edge.

Residents living in the rural flatlands are used to leaving their cars unlocked and their keys inside. But sheriff’s deputies have warned residents to lock their doors and windows. They were asked to stay inside their homes, and local schools were closed indefinitely.

“Something like this is kind of changing their lives for the time being,” Pruitt said.

Little is known about the suspect, said Kern County Senior Deputy Brandon Rutledge, except: “He knows how to survive.”

The violence began July 28, when sheriff’s officials say the susppect held a 19-year-old man and two 20-year-old men captive in a cabin near Twin Oaks. One of the victims owned the cabin, where authorities believe the gunman had been squatting.

The men arrived at the cabin about 7 p.m. and found the gunman, who approached them and asked why they had stepped on his property. After they informed him of the actual ownership, he brandished a handgun, ordered them inside and threatened to kill them, Pruitt said.

About an hour later, the three men escaped when the gunman stepped outside. The men ran, eventually encountering the father of one of the men. He drove them to one of the only shops around, the Twin Oaks General Store.

Nancy Carter said she was working that night when the father rushed in, asking for change so he could call police on the pay phone.

Carter recalled their unusual description of the man who held them captive: “The guy said he came from the sky.”

Deputies searched the cabin where the gunman held the men hostage. He is believed to have stolen the men’s off-road vehicle and fled. That vehicle was found the next day about two miles from the cabin.

Two days later, in another cabin 10 miles away, David Louis Markiewitz, a retired dentist, was found shot to death.

Markiewitz, 64, of Tehachapi had gone to his cabin in Weldon on Thursday and never reported back to his family.

Concerned about his safety, his family drove to the cabin that night and found his body.

Again, SWAT deputies searched the area Friday but did not find him. Officials suspect the gunman hiked over the Piute Mountains, possibly using the Pacific Crest Trail, to arrive in Weldon.

The manhunt continued Saturday, when about 8:30 p.m., the gunman fired at SWAT deputies on a remote property near Kelso Valley and Jawbone Canyon roads, Pruitt said.

Deputy Michael Booker was shot in both arms and Deputy Jose Perez was grazed by a bullet. SWAT deputies returned fire, but it was unclear if the man was struck, Pruitt said.

Late Monday, officials released a sketch of the man based on interviews with the kidnap victims.

He is described as white with blue eyes, 30 to 35 years old, and wearing glasses and a brown corduroy cap. He has long, brown hair and was “dirty in appearance,” officials said.

Panzar reported from Weldon and Rocha from Los Angeles. Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.

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