http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/local/apx_rancher_found_dead_032910

Authorities followed tracks to Mexico border
Updated: Tuesday, 30 Mar 2010, 6:16 AM MDT
Published : Monday, 29 Mar 2010, 6:25 AM MDT

DOUGLAS, Ariz. – A prominent southeast Arizona rancher sped away in his all-terrain vehicle after being shot, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said Monday in releasing more details into Saturday’s slaying near the Mexico border.

The body of Robert Krentz, 58, was located before midnight Saturday on his 35,000 acre ranch about 35 miles northeast of Douglas after his brother reported that he had lost radio contact with Krentz earlier in the day.

Krentz apparently came upon one person when he was shot and his dog was wounded, detectives said.

While Krentz was still in his vehicle, mortally wounded, he managed to drive the ATV away from the scene at a high rate of speed before becoming unconscious, investigators said.

Foot tracks were identified and followed approximately 20 miles south to the Mexico border by sheriff’s deputies, U.S. Border Patrol trackers and Department of Corrections dog chase teams,
authorities said.

“We’ve had kidnappings, we’ve had people who’ve been taken from here and executed in Mexico. Clearly Phoenix has a huge problem with kidnappings and assaults associated with human smuggling and trafficking,” said Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever. “It hadn’t been so up close and personal until this particular event.”

Dever and Krentz were longtime friends.

So far, there have been no suspects identified and no arrests.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., whose Congressional district covers the area, issued a statement saying Krentz’s killing is a horrible tragedy that deserves a swift and strong response.

“The cold-blooded killing of an Arizona rancher is a sad and sobering reminder of the threats to public safety that exist in our border communities,” Giffords said. “It has not yet been determined who committed this atrocity or why, but I know that federal and local authorities are mobilizing every possible resource to locate and apprehend the assailant.”

Giffords said if Krentz’s killing is connected to drug cartels or smugglers, the federal government must respond appropriately.

“All options should be on the table, including sending more Border Patrol agents to the area and deploying the National Guard,” Giffords said.

The Sheriff’s Office said Krentz’s body was transported to the Cochise County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy to determine approximate time of death.

A motive for the killing has not been released by authorities.