Missing Kids’ Father Pleads Not Guilty

The father of two New Hampshire children whose disappearance has led to a cross-country search pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of murdering the youngsters.

Manuel Gehring, 44, was arraigned on two counts of first-degree murder. He said nothing and looked down as his two public defenders entered the pleas for him.

Gehring was held without bail.

While no bodies have been found, authorities have said they believe Gehring shot the children, 14-year-old Sarah and 11-year-old Philip, in southern New Hampshire on July 4, then buried them a day later somewhere in the Midwest as he traveled to California.

“He’s sad,” defense attorney Jacalyn Colburn said outside the courthouse Thursday. “These are children he loved and he was devoted to.”

Gehring, an accountant who had been locked in a custody battle with his former wife, was arrested in California on July 10. Before being returned to New Hampshire, he had been with detectives in the Midwest, apparently helping authorities in their search for the bodies.

Prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to prove Gehring’s guilt even without the bodies, Assistant Atty. Gen. Jeff Strelzin said.

Prosecutors said they did not bring capital murder charges because the case does not meet the narrowly drawn circumstances for a death penalty case under New Hampshire law. The only scenario that may have applied was murder in the course of a kidnapping, but prosecutors said they had no evidence that a kidnapping occurred.

Meanwhile, the FBI said the search for the bodies has been expanded to include all of Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania.

Initially, the Ohio search had been limited to a rural area up to 10 miles on either side of Interstate 80 and an area around Toledo Express Airport. New information led investigators to expand the search area, said Jim DeLong, agent in charge of the FBI’s Toledo office.