New Hampshire prepares to return the murder suspect, with or without his children’s bodies.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – Frustrated law enforcement officials are preparing to bring Manuel Gehring home to New Hampshire early this week, even if searchers in the Midwest do not find the bodies of his children, presumed murdered and buried somewhere near Interstate 80.

Gehring began his return flight from California with a police escort last Tuesday. But instead of arriving in Concord that afternoon, he has spent six days with police and FBI agents. Investigators have been retracing the route he drove after he and the children disappeared from Concord on July 4.

Authorities have confirmed Gehring is in the Midwest, in police custody and spending nights at various jails there, but will not say whether he is helping them search for the graves of his daughter, Sarah, 14, and son, Philip, 11.

Assistant Attorney General William Delker said Sunday that activity in the Midwest is moving on two fronts: making arrangements to get Gehring back to New Hampshire, possibly as early as Monday; and ramping up the search for the children after scaling back during the weekend.

Delker said there still was no timetable for the return, but that authorities were working out logistics for a flight for Gehring and his police escort. After he returns, Gehring will be arraigned on an interference with custody charge. Police have said other charges could follow.

They also have said they don’t need to find bodies to file murder charges.

Officials will evaluate the progress of the search on Monday and decide how and where to proceed, Delker said.

“Obviously we haven’t given up hope yet,” he said. “We will regroup and determine where we go from here.”

Searchers have focused on the route Gehring drove between July 4, when he and the children were last seen in Concord, and July 10, when he was arrested without them in Gilroy, Calif.

Gehring’s westward trip began days after he angrily told his ex-wife he did not intend to abide by a new custody agreement, and after a loud argument with his daughter following a fireworks show in Concord, according to court documents and police.

Authorities apparently flew Gehring from California to the Pittsburgh, Pa., area, where he reportedly bought a shovel during the cross-country drive, and began driving westward with him, along Interstate 80.

So far, they have searched Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana, authorities in those states said.

Several Midwestern authorities told The Union Leader in Manchester they were provided general site descriptions, route numbers and landmarks, such as a “white post” in a remote location, to try to determine where Gehring may have stopped.

“They gave us some things that he remembered. Nothing matches here,” said Henry County Sheriff Cady Gib, in Illinois.

AP-ES-07-20-03 1457EDT

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