Shiprock, N.M. – Federal investigators are looking for clues in the execution-style killings of three people who were found shot in a vehicle along a dirt road on the Navajo Nation.
The victims were two unidentified American Indian men and a woman identified as Vickie Benally, 26, of nearby Farmington. A motive was not immediately known.
“It appears from the basic crime scene that we’ve investigated that it was execution-style and that the victims may not have known who their assailants were,” FBI special agent Bill Elwell said.
It was unclear how many assailants were involved.
The killings took place before dawn Monday near the Hogback Chapter House, just east of Shiprock on the Navajo Nation.
Residents reported hearing gunshots and police responded to find the bullet-ridden car.
Elwell said it appeared that all of the victims were shot while inside the vehicle, which was parked along a single-lane dirt road.
Shots from at least two different caliber weapons were fired at close range into the car.
Benally was found in the passenger seat and one of the men was in the driver seat. Authorities said the man in the back seat apparently crawled out of the car after the shooting and ended up on the road.
Navajo police cordoned off the crime scene Monday as state police took photos from the air and the FBI searched for evidence on the ground. The FBI also was seeking clues to Benally’s whereabouts Sunday night as part of its investigation, but Elwell would not elaborate.
Authorities said multiple murders rarely happen in the area.
Shiprock is in the Four Corners region, where New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Arizona join.
“It’s not something that’s unheard of in this area. Fortunately it’s not something that occurs on a regular basis,” said Farmington Police Lt. Doug Kennedy.
The last multiple murder case remembered by many people in the area occurred in 1974, when the bodies of three Indian men were found within a week. Three high school students were later charged with the murders.
The crimes, which some referred to as a prank that went too far, ignited protests against racism and discrimination.
Authorities have no suspects in Monday’s slayings. They plan to continue searching the crime scene and the surrounding area for evidence.
