Inquest into death of Somerset man Stephen Scrane

Carpenter Stephen Scane moved from his home in Frome in Somerset to Wyoming in 1981 after falling in love with a girl he then married.

But his skull was found in undergrowth in 1984 and US detectives believe he may be one of up to eight people killed by Tracy Petrocelli.

Following the discovery in a field in Utah the skull was classed as a missing person for years until two detectives came out of retirement to help crack some unsolved crimes.

The pair - Dean Carr and Mike Wilkinson - found evidence his credit card had been found on notorious killer Petrocelli when he was arrested.

Police believe Petrocelli went on a killing spree after murdering his fiancée outside a Seattle restaurant.

Petrocelli, now 66, later shot dead used car salesman James Wilson during a test drive of a car and is still in jail for two murdersafter spending 35 years on Death Row.

But receipts showed Petrocelli had been using Mr Scane's credit card as he travelled throughout the western United States.

An inquest will be held in Taunton this week to allow the skull to be buried.

Steve's uncle Derek Scane, a retired construction worker living in Frome, said the wait for burial for the family had been "terrible".

The 67-year-old said: "It's terrible it has taken so long to bury Stephen. He was a clever kid who seemed to be good at everything he did.

"He fell in love with a girl and went out to America to be with her, but then he married someone else.

"We had contact every day with him until November in 1981, but then we heard nothing. We were later told he was shot.

"It is time we are allowed to lay Stephen to rest."

After his bones were discovered, Mr Scane's parents, Gillian and Bryan, sent over dental records to authorities in America so he could be identified.

Years later the bones were sent to the UK, but the family had been unable to hold a burial service until an inquest had been held.

Mr Scane had two siblings, Malcolm and Lisa.

Dean, the former Undersheriff of Summit County, Utah, and Mike, former Salt Lake County Chief Deputy, are now full retired.

Speaking about the investigation, Dean said it is believed Steve ended up working at a garage in Wyoming.

Speaking today (Sun) Dean said: 'I believe that Petrocelli and Mr Scane worked at the same truck stop or gas station together in Wyoming, they found Mr. Scane's ID on Petrocelli, but could never quite tie him to the murder.

"I'm surprised the inquest is just happening now, it was all so long ago, I sincerely hope some more light is shed on the case."

Speaking about the cold case investigation he added: '''"It wasn't until 2004 that we were able to piece all this stuff together.

"The sergeant came in my office, dropped a big box on the desk and asked us if we would start looking into some of the cold cases.

"We believe he drove down into Utah, down into the Christmas Meadows area and dumped the body.

"At the time he was arrested, he had all of his victim's identifications in various forms on him.

"That's what disappoints me the most about the law enforcement agencies back then.

"They had the information and evidence on him at the time he was arrested. They had the gun. They had the victims' identifications.

''They had the credit cards, the receipts, all of that kind of stuff.

''If they had taken the time to do more than just worry about their case and follow this up, all of this stuff would have been resolved back then."

Steve's daily contact with his family ended and he was declared missing on December 16, 1982.

On August 12, 1984, his skull and collarbone were discovered by hikers in a national forest park in Utah, 32 miles from the town of Evanston in neighbouring state Wyoming Carr and Mike later began digging into the mystery of the Christmas Meadows skull shortly after they joined the Summit County Sheriff's office as volunteers.

They say they were astounded that no one had ever taken a look at the scraps of paper found in the stolen car Petrocelli was driving when he was arrested in 1982 in Vegas.

The pair say if they had, they would have immediately connected him to FOUR other murders.

Using the credit card receipts and other clues, Carr and Wilkinson say they were able to draw a map of Petrocelli's movements between late 1981 and early 1982.

What they documented was a six-month killing spree that began in Seattle, moved to San Bernadino, California, through Las Vegas to Evanston.

It then went to Wyoming where Scane was killed before his body was dumped in Summit County, then on to Colorado and back to Nevada where Petrocelli was arrested.

In addition to the Reno murder and the suspected murder of Steve, Carr and Wilkinson say they have positively connected Petrocelli to three other deaths.

They strongly suspect him in three more beyond those.

Carr says he and Wilkinson have uncovered strong evidence that connects Petrocelli to the crimes.

The inquest in Taunton in Tuesday lists it as: ''Stephen Scane. Resident of Utah, USA, died on or about August 1984 in USA aged 26 years.Inquest required to enable burial. Unlawfully killed.'' The date 1984 is in reference to when the skull was found.

A spokesman for Summit County Sheriff said today: ''On August 12, 1984 a shepherd found a human skull in the Christmas Meadows area of Summit County, Utah.

'The skull was turned over to the Utah Medical Examiner's Office for a forensic investigation.

'About a week later, a detective from the Evanston, Wyoming Police Department reported to a Summit County Sheriff's Deputy that Stephen Roy Scane was reported missing by his father on December 16, 1982.

'Approximately one year after the skull was found, the Utah Medical Examiner's Office determined the skull was that of Stephen Roy Scane.

''It is believed that Stephen Roy Scane was killed sometime around November 30, 1981 in the Christmas Meadows area, after being seen in Evanston, Wyoming.

'Tracy Petrocelli was arrested outside of Reno, Nevada on March 29, 1982 for the murder of a car dealer.

''At the time of his arrest, Petrocelli has possession of Stephen Roy Scane's identification.

''Though Petrocelli was arrested for the Nevada murder, he remains a suspect in the murder of Stephen Roy Scane.

''It wasn't until 2004 that the murder of Stephen Roy Scane was reopened by Summit County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Investigators.

''Investigators Dean Carr and Mike Wilkinson, retired Chief Deputies from the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, reopened the case and began to piece it together.

''The original investigation in 1984 did not result in sufficient investigative leads.

''On September 13, 2005 Investigators Carr and Wilkinson interviewed Tracy Petrocelli.

''Petrocelli denied any involvement in the 1981 murder, but admitted to knowing Stephen Roy Scane.

''Petrocelli did not provide any additional information regarding the murder of Scane.

''At this time, there is not sufficient evidence to positively identify Stephen Roy Scane's killer.'' Petrocelli's death sentence has since been overturned but he remains in jail.

After the inquest the family will be able to bury the former Frome Selwood School pupil.