UT - Suicides or Serial Killer's Victims? Three Utah bodies found in burning cars

[SuziQ]

Ok, we know Zach was athletic and into the outdoors. It appears that Greg may have well been as well. The below link from his obit shows him wearing a bike type shirt. Was Lorin into biking or the outdoors?

http://obits.kutv.com/listing_image/show_detail_listing_image_huge/6552.png?keepThis=true

 

[SuziQ]

Maybe their locations could be a clue as to their reason for being in these areas to begin with. It seems to be the case with Zach. Has anyone checked out these guys to see if they have Myspace or Facebook? They could have met someone that way that lured them under the guise of getting together for an outdoor activity.

Lorin @ Spruces could be cross country or backcountry skiing. Or mountain skiing if he was headed to the resort.

Greg near Saltair could be biking or 4wheeling.

Zach, backpacking, off grid camping, or mountain biking. Job interview was down there. So he could have decided to squeeze in some fun while down there.

 

[SuziQ]

I have a friend who's husband hooks up with people online through message boards to go diving and such.

 

[SuziQ]

It appears that the Crab Orchard death was accidental.

http://www.wqmf.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=283307&article=5270717

(snip)
Trooper Chris Lanham says it appears the victim was driving on Ky. 39 when he pulled off to the side of the road and got stuck in the mud. After failed attempts to free the vehicle, investigators think he fell asleep in the back. Police do not suspect foul play.

 

[KY Sleuth]

well he lived in paducah ky for is younger years and then moved to maysville ky im not sure when maybe ky sleuth will remember

They moved to Maysville the summer of 2004.

 

[KY Sleuth]

Maybe their locations could be a clue as to their reason for being in these areas to begin with. It seems to be the case with Zach. Has anyone checked out these guys to see if they have Myspace or Facebook? They could have met someone that way that lured them under the guise of getting together for an outdoor activity.

Lorin @ Spruces could be cross country or backcountry skiing. Or mountain skiing if he was headed to the resort.

Greg near Saltair could be biking or 4wheeling.

Zach, backpacking, off grid camping, or mountain biking. Job interview was down there. So he could have decided to squeeze in some fun while down there.

Zach has a facebook account but it is private. If you look him up you won't find him. I tried and asked my son about it. He said Zach would have to invite me as a friend in order to view his profile. I am sort of new to facebook and haven't gotten all the special features figured out yet.

My son is his best friend from scouts and elementary school and he said he last talked to Zach about spring break and surfing. He said this is in no way a suicide. It is totally out of character for him to go off without telling someone something.

I have known the Ruble's for 15+ years. Zach could not have had a better childhood or more loving parents. They were there for him and his brother and did a great deal with both of them. This is not some kid that came from a disfunctional home, with deep, dark suppressed feelings that would lead to this or any other kind of violence. All teenagers go through teenager growing pains and do their experimenting, but drugs and mischief were not a way of life for him.

My heart breaks even more with every post, because we are no closer to knowing the truth. I can only pray that the truth can be found and the reason for such a great young man to be tortured this way resolved. Thank you all for your posts, suggestions and prayers. KY Sleuth in Paducah

 

[ginan69]

I was told that it would be impossible to look for "other" tire prints at the scenes because of all of the emergency vehicles. I guess in Greg's case they really tore up the area. Which I guess is good just too bad they got there too late -- or then again maybe not. I can't imagine thinking this would be A good way to go -- what if you were "saved" or just badly burned, you would have to live maimed for the rest of your life and knowing you did it to yourself.

 

[KLM]

delete

 

[SuziQ]

KLM, I found the story and video from Cincinatti News ch 12: ETA: the article and video also speaks of LE asking that a photo of Zach not be given to the media.

http://www.local12.com/mostpopular/...May-Maysville-Man/Nyy5kSymsE6_v1VJWIEMlw.cspx

Maysville family is waiting to find out whether charred remains found in Utah are their son's. Zach Ruble is a freshman at the University of Utah and his parents haven't heard from him. Police found his burned out car in southern Utah with a body inside.

The Spectrum newspaper in southern Utah reports the body found in Ruble's vehicle is the third body in a burned out vehicle in a two month period. The bodies of two men were found last month in Salt Lake County, Utah. This unidentified body was found last week in Washington County, Utah. That's about 300 miles south of Salt Lake County. Zack's family is praying the remains are not their son's. (more at the above link)


Video:
http://www.local12.com/mediacenter/[email protected]

 

[SuziQ]

Hmmmm, wouldn't Lorin and Greg's families know whether their son's had suicidal tendencies? Where did LE come across that information? Nothing posted here or in the media indicate that family feels this way.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=6090900

(snips)
Late this afternoon, detectives announced that dental comparisons are inconclusive and they cannot confirm 19-year-old Ruble was the victim. In addition, they say they haven't found any evidence connecting the death to a pair of similar incidents in Salt Lake County.


Two other bodies were found in burned cars in Salt Lake County last month. Lorin Fischer died in Big Cottonwood Canyon near Brighton. Gregory Nelson was incinerated near the Great Salt Lake at Saltair.
Detectives say both men had suicidal tendencies, but they're still investigating to find any possible connections between the three cases. "That includes computer records checks, telephone records, interviewing as many witnesses as we can to try to identify the activities of these victims prior to the incident that caused their death," said Salt Lake County sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson.

 

[colette]

I am not saying this is what happened but I do think they need to look closely at the two large cannisters and I am sure they are doing so.

But why would he need two of the larger ones? That is the part I don't understand. I could understand maybe if he had taken a small gas cooker and had a small cannister that fits those. Could he have been taking them back to the store for a friend that had had a cookout?


imo

Snipped...

When my husband fills up our tank for the grill, he has 2 and fills them both at the same time. One he uses one the grill, the other is a spare. He always does this.

 

[UrbanSLC]

Hello all. Lorin was a friend of mine, which led me to this site. I'm not sure if this is of any importance or not but like Zach, Lorin traveled to Moab in Southern Utah the day before his body was found. Does anyone know if Greg had a connection to, or had recently traveled to, Southern Utah?

 

[SuziQ]

Hello all. Lorin was a friend of mine, which led me to this site. I'm not sure if this is of any importance or not but like Zach, Lorin traveled to Moab in Southern Utah the day before his body was found. Does anyone know if Greg had a connection to, or had recently traveled to, Southern Utah?

I don't have the answer, but thanks for joining us and welcome to WS.

 

[SuziQ]

Also, do you know Lorin's timeline after he went to Southern Utah? And what do you make of the detectives stating that Lorin and Greg had suicidal tendencies?

 

[SuziQ]

I've been scratching my head over LE not wanting Zach's picture released and the dentals being inconclusive. In all the years I've followed crime cases, I've never heard LE tell family to not release a pic. And I'm wracking my brain trying to recall if dentals were inconclusive in any other cases. I'm coming up blank.

Any thoughts out there on this? Ooooooh, I have a dentist appt in the morning and will be next door to someone who does dental ID's.

 

[aboutagirl]

I'm a friend and peer of Zach Ruble's (from the same graduating class) who is living in Maysville. I don't know if I can shed any light on the situation, but I knew Zach relatively well. While I'm not sure that I'll be able to give any information that KY Sleuth and the other friends of the Rubles can't provide, I will say that I can probably give a less biased opinion (based only on the assumption that KY Sleuth receives information from the family, and teenagers aren't known for their utmost honesty with their parents). Having said that, I will absolutely agree that Zach Ruble would not and did not commit suicide; he is one of the most light-hearted people I have ever known. Also, someone mentioned earlier that Zach wouldn't have gone hiking alone, but I'm not sure that such a statement is entirely accurate. If he was familiar with the area, I believe he would have been willing to take such a risk, especially if he only wanted to go for a walk, or take some photographs (but he wouldn't be careless enough to go rock-climbing or hiking/biking off of marked trails alone).

 

[aboutagirl]

Also, I don't know if this will help anything, but I can give a vague description of Zach for the purposes of victim-comparisons. I won't go into too much detail because I don't know why LE doesn't want Zach to be described but he is caucasian, probably around 6 feet tall, and is lean, but very muscular.

 

[ginan69]

The reporter that stated that the boys had suicidal tendencies was full of crap. The SHERIFFS Department is investigating these cases not the POLICE Department. Either the police department misspoke or the reporter is just trying to get interviews.

 

[UrbanSLC]

Also, do you know Lorin's timeline after he went to Southern Utah? And what do you make of the detectives stating that Lorin and Greg had suicidal tendencies?

I'm not positive about the exact timeline. I believe he drive down and back the same day, which means he would have arrived back in SLC fairly late.

I can't comment on Greg's tendencies, but for Lorin I couldn't discount suicide completely.

 

[UrbanSLC]

Does anyone know if Zach was gay or straight?