Santa Clarita Valley Developing a Macabre Distinction

Two years ago, a jogger wending his way through a remote area in Canyon Country was jolted by the sight of a dead woman lying across the trail.

He alerted Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, who discovered that the woman had been killed elsewhere by a family member who dumped the body in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The jogger’s grisly discovery was not that unusual. Since July, 1982, 51 bodies have been found along hiking trails, dirt roads and highways in the Santa Clarita Valley, said Sheriff’s Capt. Robert Grimm. It has become the most popular area in the county for disposing of murder victims, law enforcement officials say.

“It’s referred to as ‘the new burial ground, the new cemetery,’ ” said Los Angeles Police Detective Doug Haskins.

The reasons, Sheriff’s Department officials said, include the area’s semi-rural, remote topography and its accessibility from four major transportation routes--the Golden State, San Diego, Antelope Valley and Foothill freeways.

Most victims are found within 5 miles of a major highway, said Sheriff’s Capt. Bob Spierer, who oversees the Santa Clarita station. They are usually discovered by hikers, joggers, bicyclists and motorists.

Among the victims was teen-age male prostitute Terry Nute, for whose 1987 murder Max Franc, a Cal State Fresno political science professor, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Another was Hedayat Eslaminia, father of a member of the Billionaire Boys Club. The victim’s son, Reza, and fellow Billionaire Boys Club member Ben Dosti were convicted of second-degree murder, kidnaping and extortion, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“The trouble with body dumps is that any time they see police cars in an area, they just go somewhere else and we can’t be everywhere at one time,” Spierer said.

Sheriffs’ officials express faint hope that a heightened police presence will scare potential dumpers away.

Since July 1, sheriff’s deputies in Santa Clarita have assumed traffic duties formerly carried out by California Highway Patrol officers, Spierer said, and the number of patrol cars on Santa Clarita streets has more than doubled from 16 to 38.

“I would hope that the greater number of police cars visible would create a deterrent effect,” Spierer said. “But, realistically . . . I don’t know how much effect that would have. It may just cause people to look a little harder for remote spots.”

Local officials are equally frustrated. “It just isn’t anything that we have control over,” said Santa Clarita Mayor Howard P. (Buck) McKeon. “It’s not a matter that we could pass an ordinance on or do anything that would stop it.”