Gruesome discovery at Sam Donaldson's ranch
Gruesome Discovery
Teen Arrested After Three Bodies Found at Sam Donaldson’s Ranch
ABCNEWS.com
July 7, 2004— The bodies of a ranch foreman, his wife and her daughter were discovered on a New Mexico ranch owned by ABC newsman Sam Donaldson, and the man's 14-year-old son was later arrested, authorities said.
The bodies of Delbert "Paul" Posey, his wife Tryone Posey and her daughter Maralea Schmid were found Tuesday on Donaldson's remote ranch north of Hondo, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department said.
Sheriff Tom Sullivan said investigators arrested the teenager, Cody Posey, at a friend's house. He was being held under a state youthful offender law on three open counts of murder and four counts of evidence tampering. The boy was expected to appear in court Thursday.
Donaldson and his wife cooperated in the investigation and were never considered suspects, Sullivan said.
"Jan and I are so very, very sorry about the loss of these fine people," Donaldson said in a statement. "We hired Paul Posey as our foreman on October 1, 2001. He and Tryone — and for that matter, the two youngsters — worked as a team in an effort to make our ranch a successful operation."
Donaldson called the sheriff's department at 5 p.m. Tuesday after he went to Posey's house and found an "obvious crime scene," Sullivan said. Sheriff's deputies sent to the ranch searched the area and found the bodies in a shallow grave, he said.
"Paul was a hard worker, familiar with all aspects of a livestock operation, honest and a person who cared about moral and ethical values," Donaldson added. "Tryone was equally honest, hard-working and a joy to be around. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of this family."
Donaldson's ranch is in the south-central part of the state, between Roswell and Ruidoso. He is a native of El Paso, Texas, and his father bought farmland in New Mexico in 1910. Donaldson has added to the property over the years.
Donaldson joined ABC News in 1967 and covered the administrations of presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan as chief White House correspondent. He also was the anchor of World News Sunday and hosted news programs including This Week and Primetime Live.
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