3 Campers Killed by Shotgun Blasts, Autopsies Indicate

Three campers whose bodies were found during the weekend at an isolated lake in San Bernardino National Forest died of shotgun blasts, autopsies disclosed Monday.

The slayings occurred at Lost Lake, about 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Bryant said a shotgun that may have been used in the slayings was found in the area Sunday.

The bodies of Craig Mabry, 26, and Kenneth McDow, 17, both of La Puente, were discovered Saturday morning by a third companion who had spent the night in a truck nearby.

Investigators looking for clues discovered a compact pickup truck submerged in 14 feet of water and containing the body of the third victim, Richard Glass, 33, of Ontario.

An autopsy showed that Glass, who was apparently camping alone, was shot at close range in the chest before his truck was submerged, County Coroner Brian McCormick said.

Mabry and McDow, who were found in their sleeping bags, also were killed with a shotgun, Bryant said.

Bryant said investigators believe that the killings are related because all the victims were killed with a shotgun, apparently during a short period, and because the bodies were found in the same vicinity.

It has not been determined whether the same shotgun was used in all three slayings, Bryant said.