No Sign Yet of Hoffa's Body, but F.B.I. Cites 'Credible' Tip
Micheline Maynard and Nick Bunkley
New York Times
The Ledger
________
Detroit, Michigan (US)::
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, plenty experienced in searching for James R. Hoffa, said a "fairly credible lead" is what led investigators this week to still another potential burial spot: a horse farm aptly named Hidden Dreams.
Using cadaver dogs borrowed from the Detroit police, and aided by students and professors from Michigan State University, F.B.I. agents began a search on Wednesday of the 80-acre farm in Milford Township, Mich., northwest of Detroit, for signs of a crime involving Mr. Hoffa, the former Teamsters president. Daniel D. Roberts, the special agent in charge of the Detroit F.B.I. office, said the search could take weeks.
In fact, the search has taken more than 30 years, and has led investigators to trash dumps, construction sites and homes throughout the region. One theory even held that he was entombed under Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.
At a news conference on Thursday afternoon on a dirt road at the farm entrance, Mr. Roberts said no trace of Mr. Hoffa had yet been discovered.
Nor would he give details of the search warrant, which was sealed by a federal judge in Detroit.
But, Mr. Roberts said, "This is probably a fairly credible lead" in Mr. Hoffa's disappearance. Mr. Roberts, who has been in his position for the past two years, added that it was "the best lead I've seen come across in the Hoffa investigation."
Numerous such leads in the past have failed to turn up the body of Mr. Hoffa, who disappeared on July 30, 1975, after failing to return for dinner.
The police, who had been contacted by his family, found his 1974 Pontiac the next day in the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Township, Mich., where he was supposed to meet two organized crime figures for lunch. Neither of those men showed up.
The restaurant is 17 miles east of the Hidden Dreams farm, whose entrance was swarmed Thursday by television crews, reporters and a few onlookers.
May 19, 2006
Micheline Maynard and Nick Bunkley
New York Times
The Ledger
________
Detroit, Michigan (US)::
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, plenty experienced in searching for James R. Hoffa, said a "fairly credible lead" is what led investigators this week to still another potential burial spot: a horse farm aptly named Hidden Dreams.
Using cadaver dogs borrowed from the Detroit police, and aided by students and professors from Michigan State University, F.B.I. agents began a search on Wednesday of the 80-acre farm in Milford Township, Mich., northwest of Detroit, for signs of a crime involving Mr. Hoffa, the former Teamsters president. Daniel D. Roberts, the special agent in charge of the Detroit F.B.I. office, said the search could take weeks.
In fact, the search has taken more than 30 years, and has led investigators to trash dumps, construction sites and homes throughout the region. One theory even held that he was entombed under Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.
At a news conference on Thursday afternoon on a dirt road at the farm entrance, Mr. Roberts said no trace of Mr. Hoffa had yet been discovered.
Nor would he give details of the search warrant, which was sealed by a federal judge in Detroit.
But, Mr. Roberts said, "This is probably a fairly credible lead" in Mr. Hoffa's disappearance. Mr. Roberts, who has been in his position for the past two years, added that it was "the best lead I've seen come across in the Hoffa investigation."
Numerous such leads in the past have failed to turn up the body of Mr. Hoffa, who disappeared on July 30, 1975, after failing to return for dinner.
The police, who had been contacted by his family, found his 1974 Pontiac the next day in the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Township, Mich., where he was supposed to meet two organized crime figures for lunch. Neither of those men showed up.
The restaurant is 17 miles east of the Hidden Dreams farm, whose entrance was swarmed Thursday by television crews, reporters and a few onlookers.
May 19, 2006
