The families of two men found dead on a ranch southwest of Tucson are pleading for the public's help in solving the mystery of their deaths.
Good friends William Lee Blankinship, 72, and George Ernest McCumber, 60, lived on the ranch in the 8600 block of West Old Ajo Highway, their families said Friday during a press conference held by Homicide Survivors.
The two men had been living in fear for the past several months because people had been trespassing on the property to steal metal and other items in broad daylight as well as under the cover of night, family members said.
Blankinship and McCumber were shot to death by 27-year-old Fred Anthony Kahale, who traveled from California in a rented vehicle with a U-haul attached, sheriff's officials have said.
It is unclear how Kahale came to be aware of the ranch, where he is believed to have arrived on Sept. 21 wearing a bulletproof vest and armed with pipe bombs, weapons and a pit bull.
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Authorities say that Kahale may have been delusional and came to the ranch with the intention of acquiring "loot" and other valuables that did not exist.
The following morning, all three of the men's bodies were found. An autopsy on Kahale's body was inconclusive, but he may have suffered from heat exhaustion, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said.
Blankinship was remembered as an Army veteran who spent his time helping other veterans navigate their way through the system to get health care and other assistance.
He cared for animals on the ranch and also took up various research projects that he and his brother — Joe Blankinship — became involved in.
"Uncle Bill was a dreamer and an inventor," said Robert Lewis, who is married to Blankinship's niece. "He was what this country was founded on and by — a simple, hardworking, caring and loving man."
McCumber, whose role on the ranch was to serve as a watchman, was remembered as a man who loved carpentry and moved to Tucson after only one visit in 1992 because he "liked it so well," his mother, Esther Baker, said.
"George gave his life coming to Uncle Bill's aid," Lewis said. "Bill took care of George, and George took care of Bill."
Anyone with information on this case is urged to call 911 or 88-CRIME, the anonymous tip line of the Pima County Attorney's Office.
