The case of a former Tucson-area resident who was slain near his home in New Mexico last December will be featured tonight on "America's Most Wanted."
Deputies in Grant County, N.M., have arrested a suspect in connection with the death of Tim Edwards, 62, but are looking for someone who may have witnessed the crime, said Grant County Sheriff's Department Capt. Joe Sublasky.
Tammy Dyer, who also goes by Tammy Patrick and other aliases, might hold the key to solving the case, he said.
"If we're unable to find her, what we might have to do is temporarily drop the charges," Sublasky said.
Tim Edwards' story will be told by his wife, Lynn Edwards, on "America's Most Wanted" at 8 p.m. on Fox 11, said Jenna Naranjo, an associate producer with the show. The show will focus on locating Tammy Dyer, but Naranjo said authorities are seeking her only as a material witness.
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Tim Edwards was killed Dec. 30, 2005, as he returned to his ranch just outside Silver City, N.M., after running some errands, said his son Todd Edwards. On his way back from town, Tim Edwards called his wife and told her he'd be home in about half an hour, but he never returned. So Lynn Edwards went to look for him.
When she found him it was too late to save him. His throat had been slit nearly to his spine, Todd Edwards said.
About a week after the slaying a man came to authorities and told them his son, Michael James Snyder, had confessed to the murder, Sublasky said.
When investigators questioned Snyder, he told them he hadn't killed Edwards, but he was there when it happened. He said he was with two men and a woman at the time. Snyder later changed his story and told investigators he'd never been at the scene.
Authorities followed up on his first story and could never verify the identity of the two men. But they were able to confirm that the woman, Tammy Dyer, did exist, Sublasky said.
Now it's just a matter of finding her to see what she knows. Otherwise, there's no way to prove that Snyder was at the scene, Sublasky said.
Tim and Lynn Edwards were educators in Arizona for nearly 30 years. He taught at Central Arizona College in Coolidge, about 15 miles northeast of Casa Grande, and she was a principal at Mountain View High School in Marana.
University of Arizona softball coach Mike Candrea was his student and later taught with him at Central Arizona College. Candrea said Tim Edwards was a mentor for him.
"He touched a lot of people," he said. "I don't know anyone who disliked Tim Edwards, and that's what makes this so frustrating."
Tim Edwards also raised cattle in Marana before buying the ranch near Silver City in 1995, according to an e-mail from Todd Edwards.
Todd Edwards said he has no idea why his father stopped his truck by the side of the road the night he was killed.
Sublasky said people would use drugs and party on the public land in the Gila National Forest where Edwards kept his cattle. Sublasky said authorities learned through investigating that sometimes Edwards would stop and ask them not to bother his cattle.
"He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Sublasky said.
On TV: Watch the program "America's Most Wanted" tonight at 8 on Fox 11.
