Suspect in Beaumont Boy’s Slaying Freed

Investigators searching for the killer of 10-year-old Anthony Michael Martinez detained and questioned a man in Santa Ana earlier this week but released him because there was insufficient evidence linking him to the slaying, authorities said Friday.

“Nothing has come back that’s of any substance,” Beaumont Police Lt. John Acosta said. “We have a lot of investigators talking to a lot of people. This was just one of those cases. . . . The bottom line is, we do not at this time have a prime suspect.”

The man, who was not identified because he wasn’t arrested, was among more than 100 people who have been questioned because they matched the description of the killer, Acosta said.

Santa Ana police detained the man because he resembled Anthony’s abductor, and called Beaumont police. At least one detective from that agency came to Orange County to question him, authorities said.

Anthony was abducted at knifepoint April 4 from an alley in Beaumont. About two weeks later, his nude body was found partially buried under a pile of rocks near Indio. His hands and legs were bound.

The slaying’s national publicity prompted hundreds of tips, and authorities are investigating them, but so far there are few solid leads, Acosta said.

Earlier this week, at least two other men were arrested and later dismissed as suspects. One of them was taken into custody Monday when a motorist called the California Highway Patrol on a cellular phone to say that she saw a driver who matched the description of Anthony’s abductor. When a CHP officer pulled behind him, the man fled, heightening the officer’s suspicion, authorities said at the time.

An investigator from the FBI interviewed the man but did not find evidence to connect him with the crime. However, the man was arrested for trying to avoid capture and held on a parole violation.

Another man was taken into custody by Los Angeles police on the same day for driving without a license and, because of his appearance, was also interviewed but later released.

“A lot of people out there are looking for [Anthony’s abductor], and that’s good,” Acosta said.