Ransom paid, but abducted man is killed

ACAPULCO (AP) - A prominent businessman who had been kidnapped twice before was tortured and shot to death despite payment of a large ransom by his family, newspapers reported yesterday.

The body of Melchor Perrusquia Viesca, 65, was discovered Saturday near the village of San Pedro Las Playas, not far from the Acapulco airport. The state of the body indicated he had been killed three to five days earlier.

Perrusquia, whose father had been private secretary to President Miguel Aleman in the late 1940s, owned the main Ford dealership here as well as extensive tourism properties.

Police search landfill for teen's body

PHOENIX (AP) - Police officers and a forensics archaeologist donned protective gear and started hand-sifting through tons of garbage and dirt yesterday in search of a teen-ager's body believed buried in a landfill.

Brad Hansen, 13, has been missing since Nov. 10. Police allege he was shot to death by junior high school classmate Jeremy Bach during an argument over a 12-year-old girl they both liked.

Authorities theorize that Bach, 13, dumped the body in a trash barrel outside his father's home in an upscale neighborhood.

It wasn't until Jan. 9 that city sanitation workers noticed dried blood on the sides and bottom of the curbside trash container at the Bach residence. DNA tests determined it was Hansen's blood.

Chemicals removed for vacant AZ home

TEMPE (AP) - Several hundred gallons of hazardous chemicals were removed from a rented house which had been used for a clandestine gold-recovery operation, authorities said.

Thousands of pairs of eyeglasses were found at the location during the three-day cleanup opeation which ran through Sunday. Gold was being extracted from the glasses' frames, as well as circuit boards and jewelry.

The house, which had been used by various businesses before being left vacant years ago, will be demolished, said Fire Department spokesman Russ Wollam.