Police Pursue Link Between Man’s Murder, Double-Suicide : Investigation: Bodies of widow and her young lover are found in Banning. Detectives are pooling clues to help resolve the December homicide of the woman’s husband.

The widow of a slain insurance executive from Laguna Niguel and her 22-year-old lover were found dead in a motel room here, and authorities are investigating whether the double suicide is linked to the killing.

The bodies of Lynn Houston, 44, of Laguna Niguel and Arturo Montes of Santa Ana were discovered last Saturday afternoon by a maid at the Banning Travelodge, Banning Police Sgt. Linda Bianchi said Friday.

The bodies were found a day after Montes failed to appear for a scheduled polygraph test at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, said Lt. Robert Rivas, a sheriff’s spokesman.

The polygraph test was part of an ongoing investigation into the December slaying of Dirk St. Clair Houston, 37, whose body was found with multiple gunshot wounds in his insurance office in Laguna Hills, Rivas said.

Banning is in Riverside County on Interstate 10 in the mountain pass northwest of Palm Springs.

Houston’s widow and Montes died of apparent drug overdoses, officials said. She was found face down on the floor between the room’s twin beds, and he was found on his back on a bed. Investigators also found six empty bottles of prescription medicine in her name, a bottle of vodka, a couple of six-packs of beer and a six-pack of soda, Bianchi said.

In Montes’ wallet was a business card from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, authorities said. A sheaf of writing paper, with Spanish greeting words which officials said were probably from Montes trying to start a letter to his two young daughters, Corinna and Brittney, was on the table in the motel room.

Banning detectives are working with Orange County officials “to determine if any evidence gleaned from the scene here would assist in their homicide” investigation, Bianchi said.

Rivas said Montes had been called in for a polygraph test to make sure that his original statements to detectives did not contradict other evidence in the murder case. The spokesman did not know whether Lynn Houston or others were scheduled for polygraph tests.

The twist and turns in developments stemming from Houston’s murder had officials puzzled, but none would offer theories as to how the double suicide is linked with the earlier shooting.

“Everybody’s speculating (about) all kinds of scenarios as to what happened, but nothing in the investigation has led us to file any criminal charges against anybody,” Rivas said.

Banning authorities gave this account:

Houston and Montes checked into the Travelodge 1:30 p.m. March 20. About 1 p.m. the next day, a motel maid noticed that the couple had not come out of the room, which was reserved for other guests that night, and opened the door with a master key.

She saw the bodies and called the motel manager, who alerted police.

“There was no indication of struggle in the room,” Bianchi said.

Investigators found the television still on, three cans of soda opened, two cans of beer in a trash can and the vodka bottle down a glass worth.

There were empty packages of stamps and a box of envelopes with five envelopes missing, according to detectives, who intercepted several letters mailed by the couple at Banning.

One letter was addressed to Thomas Goethals, Montes’ lawyer based in Laguna Hills, said Richard Bogan, a deputy coroner for Riverside County.

The gist of the letter was that Montes had misinformed investigators in his original statements because he had been under extreme stress. The letter said he was afraid that the misinformation might now be used against him, Bogan said.

Goethals was not available for comment Friday.

“The dynamics of this whole thing is so peculiar that it’s hard to know how much credence to put on any evidence,” Bogan said. “They were found in a motel room, fully dressed, and we have no idea what the motive was.”

Meanwhile, several of Montes’ brothers and sisters, gathered Friday night at his home in Santa Ana after his burial in Irvine, said they knew nothing about Montes’ relationship with Houston or the death of her husband.

“Everything was dark for us about that side,” said Rafael, his 36-year-old brother.

“He didn’t talk about his problems,” brother Jesus, 29, added.

The brothers said Arturo Montes had been unusually quiet lately, prompting them to ask him if something was wrong.

“Lately he was sad,” Rafael said. He noted a recent late night walk he had with his brother around the block.

Arturo left his home, apparently upset over something about two weeks ago, Rafael said. Rafael walked at his side but could not get him to open up about what was troubling him.

“I hope to know something. . . . I want to know something” about what happened at the Banning motel, Rafael said.

“We’re not looking for revenge,” Jesus said. “My brother is dead already. We’re not going to bring him back alive. We just want him to rest in peace.”

Times correspondent Eric Young contributed to this story.