Kids Feared Dead, Father Extradicted

C O N C O R D, N.H., July 15 -- Investigators are concentrating on the Midwest as they search for the bodies of two New Hampshire children, and their father is being returned to the state in police custody.

So far, authorities have not been able to find any sign of Sarah Gehring, 14, and her 11-year-old brother, Philip.

"Searchers have not revealed any results," said New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Strelzin.

Manuel Gehring, the children's father, was being flown back to New Hampshire on a charter flight from California, where he was arrested last week. He is charged with violating his child custody agreement with his former wife, Theresa Knight.

Gehring and Knight shared custody of the children, who had been staying with their father since the beginning of July. They were last seen with Gehring at a Fourth of July celebration in a Concord park.

According to court documents, Gehring got into a loud dispute with the children at the fireworks display, and witnesses said Sarah and Philip were in tears as they got into their father's van.

Gehring, 44, took off on a cross-country trip sometime late July 4 or on July 5, authorities said. He drove across the Midwest and was eventually arrested in California.

New Hampshire Attorney General Peter Heed said law enforcement officials believe the children were killed in New Hampshire, but he did not say what led them to that conclusion.

Asked if there was any hope the children could be found alive, Strelzin said, "I believe, in fairness, we are searching for two bodies."

Midwest Search Continues

Over the weekend, police searched an area around Interstate 80 near Toledo, Ohio. A Toledo television station reported that investigators found a credit card receipt in Gehring's name that indicated he had purchased a shovel.

Strelzin said the search for the bodies was not being limited to just Ohio, but encompassed all the Midwest.

When Gehring arrives in New Hampshire, he will be booked at the Concord police station and then taken to the Merrimack County House of Corrections to await his arraignment on the custody violation charge. It was not known when he would reach New Hampshire because the charter plane was expected to make several refueling stops after leaving California.