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49 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 9, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 2, 2004 Manuel Benitez Murder suspect reported in Medford By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A California murder suspect profiled on "America’s Most Wanted" may be in the Medford area, police warned Wednesday. Officers are looking for Manuel Benitez, 35, and his mother, 58-year-old Elizabeth Velasco. Both have been seen within the past week and a half at a north Medford Minute Market at Table Rock and Merriman roads, said Medford police Sgt. Tim Doney. Benitez is wanted in Los Angeles County in connection with the murder of his girlfriend, Stephanie Spears, in Hawthorne, Calif., on June 21. Benitez also may have the couple’s 3-year-old son, Benjamin Everett, who has been missing since the murder, police said. "We’re assuming that he fled with the child although the child has not been seen up here," Doney said. Several Rogue Valley residents saw Benitez and Velasco and linked them to wanted posters around town, Doney said. Those residents contacted Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, who called Medford police for help, Doney added. Advertisement Benitez and Velasco may be going by different names, police said. They were seen on foot at the Minute Market and may have since left the Rogue Valley, although officers have not identified a vehicle in which they may be traveling, Doney said. Featured this summer on the Fox television program "America’s Most Wanted," Benitez is a Hispanic man with brown eyes and brown hair. He weighs approximately 190 pounds and is 6 feet tall. Velasco is described as a white female with brown eyes and brown hair. She is 5-6 and weighs about 140 pounds. Benjamin is of Hispanic and African American descent with brown eyes and brown hair. He is approximately 4 feet tall and 40 pounds. Anyone with information on Benitez, his mother or his son is asked to call Detective Terry Newell with the Medford Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Section at 774-2230. Local police this year have apprehended three men wanted on California murder charges. In each case, the suspects had connections to family and friends in the Rogue Valley, Doney said. Medford officers in August tracked down Gharrett Paul Parker, 19, on a warrant for a Stockton killing. Kenneth Lelan Bell, 16, and Robert Nelson Jr., 21, were arrested last month in connection with the slaying of a pizza parlor manager in Vallejo. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities