Another desert mystery ...

[Tallpine]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/11/16/4-bodies-found-in-calif-believed-to-be-missing-family/

[Hawkmoon]

El chupacabra strikes again ...

[French G.]

Not only probable cartel victims, owed somebody serious money or something. Look at their financial issues and the clue will probably emerge.

[Sergeant Bob]

Not only probable cartel victims, owed somebody serious money or something. Look at their financial issues and the clue will probably emerge.

What are you basing that on? From the article:

Nothing was missing from the home, and the couple's credit cards and tens of thousands of dollars in bank accounts never were touched.

Are you thinking ill gotten gains?

[French G.]

Kinda unusual for the kids to end up in a shallow grave over a random thing isn't it? Add in their supposed research about heading to Mexico and such. Someone was very unhappy with them.

[RoadKingLarry]

Obviously a well planned murder/suicide and prufe that we need moar gunz controls.

[tokugawa]

Someone took the time to dig the graves, and separate  the victims from their car. -

 That sounds like someone wanted them to disappear, not just be dead. It has never seemed  like drug gangs were much concerned about leaving bodies laying around. Same thing for random violence.
 
 These people were murdered by someone who planned ahead, at least to the extent of trying to make sure they were not found. And that someone had no desire to get money from them. It sounds like a very personal vendetta, and it may be that someone paid to have them killed.

 Or maybe, just maybe, they ran into that .001% of the population that are stone cold psycho's.
 
 Who knows- at least now the cops have a definite victim, not a missing persons. So maybe they will do some serious digging and find the murderer/s.

  
 
 

[gunsmith]

I'm reasonably sure this is the same story I saw on AMW a few yrs ago, I tried going to their website but its a huge PITA - man they're just morons.

Anyway, I'm thinking crazed psycho serial killer - that or someone was seriously angry with dad or mom.

A very highly organized psycho did this, was able to leave the car at the border  to throw off the searchers and manage to kill all of them, it kind of reminds me of that lowlife in Idaho that broke into a home, killed dad who was on the couch that evening - then got mom to put the two kids into his car with instructions to behave then took her back inside and killed her , killed the boy a little later and they finally caught him with the girl at a Denny's or something.

Everyone thought it was the dads associates because he had a Harley/tattoo's but the killer simply stalked the family because he saw the little girl, saw they had no dog, looked in the window and saw dad sleeping and used a hammer he found in the garage to kill dad.
( yup, the house had no firearms either) 

This is a real mystery, anyway, prayers/condolences for the family-what a horrible thing to endure.

[MechAg94]

Which is why I keep seriously thinking about finding someone to install steel or solid wood doors on my house that would not be easy to get through with a lot of noise.  I already keep doors/windows locked; always been in that habit.

[tokugawa]

Steel doors and frame.  There was a thread on home security and locks a year or two ago with a lot of info.

[Tallpine]

Steel doors and frame.  There was a thread on home security and locks a year or two ago with a lot of info.

Not much use unless I put iron bars over all my windows   

[CypherNinja]

Not much use unless I put iron bars over all my windows   

https://www.google.com/#q=security%20screens

 

[Tallpine]

https://www.google.com/#q=security%20screens

 

Yeah, I always wanted to live in a jail 

[tokugawa]

# 1 method of forced entry is to kick in the door
   window film can go a long way to reduce the ease of breaking glass panes, and height of the windows off the grade can make them significantly harder to climb through.

 The point being, there is no way to make any structure impregnable-
 But the easy, quick methods of gaining entry can turn into noisy, laborious affairs, buying time to react.
 
 Whether it is desirable or not depends on your comfort level - but I have never talked to anyone who regretted putting in a stronger door.  Those who have survived a home invasion probably have very strong opinions on the matter.

[gunsmith]

I've been reading Patricia Cornwell again because I'm near(ish) to a library, so I am well informed as to what happened

A highly organized serial killer with links to drug cartels and the CIA needed to test out a new technique for silencing witnesses .... or was that the Son's Of Anarchy?
Who can remember where I get my info from anymore...

[Angel Eyes]

Yeah, I always wanted to live in a jail 

Pretend you're re-enacting Rio Bravo.

You can even be Ricky Nelson.

[Tallpine]

Pretend you're re-enacting Rio Bravo.

You can even be Ricky Nelson.

I'd rather be Sheriff John Chance and have to search Angie Dickinson 

[MechAg94]

Pretend you're re-enacting Rio Bravo.

You can even be Ricky Nelson.

You could also re-enact El Dorado, but why repeat yourself. 

[RoadKingLarry]

You could also re-enact El Dorado, but why repeat yourself. 

Let me here you laugh!

First movie I remember going to see in a theater.

[MechAg94]

# 1 method of forced entry is to kick in the door
   window film can go a long way to reduce the ease of breaking glass panes, and height of the windows off the grade can make them significantly harder to climb through.

 The point being, there is no way to make any structure impregnable-
 But the easy, quick methods of gaining entry can turn into noisy, laborious affairs, buying time to react.
 
 Whether it is desirable or not depends on your comfort level - but I have never talked to anyone who regretted putting in a stronger door.  Those who have survived a home invasion probably have very strong opinions on the matter.

This. 
I feel confident I have assets available to react to a threat.  Time to react properly is key.  I often carry or keep a gun handy, but I would rather have minutes to react rather than seconds. 

[MechAg94]

I keep seeing this thread title and wondering what the mystery desert was and how it tasted. 

[Tallpine]

Secure house:

[RoadKingLarry]

More Secure house:

FTFY. Likely vulnerable from the air. Also wndows are probably just plain ole glass.

[Tallpine]

FTFY. Likely vulnerable from the air. Also wndows are probably just plain ole glass.

Looks like this one has been "modernized" 

I wouldn't have a ground floor entrance at all.  The door would be at the top of a narrow stairway clinging to the lower wall, with a small landing and no railings.  Make it hard to bust down the outer door, especially with stuff being rained down from the parapet above. 

Put in a rainwater collection system with cisterns in the cellar, which is itself only accessible from inside.

[lee n. field]

Looks like this one has been "modernized" 

I wouldn't have a ground floor entrance at all.  The door would be at the top of a narrow stairway clinging to the lower wall, with a small landing and no railings.  Make it hard to bust down the outer door, especially with stuff being rained down from the parapet above. 

Put in a rainwater collection system with cisterns in the cellar, which is itself only accessible from inside.

There's probably a "murder hole" just inside the door.