Lawrence Bedilion of Waynesburg eased his all-terrain vehicle down a steep embankment to a level area and saw handlebars protruding from the ground.
The Greene County man kicked away some earth and saw the seat of an all-terrain vehicle buried in the soft ground near Bobtown.
"Then I knew what I had," Bedilion said Monday.
In a recently dug hole covered with horse manure, FBI agents and state troopers discovered the missing ATV that 12-year-old Gabrielle Miranda Bechen was riding a week ago when she failed to return to her Dunkard Township home in Greene County.
A short time after Bedilion's discovery, police said, Jeffrey Robert Martin led investigators to the spot where he buried Bechen's body after strangling her.
Martin, 48, of New Geneva, Fayette County, a handyman at the horse farm about a mile from Bechen's home near the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border, was charged with homicide, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence.
Martin was a petty criminal with a record in two counties and an apparent drinking problem that led to an arrest for driving under the influence, according to court records.
He worked for farm owner Jack Montgomery, who declined yesterday to discuss him.
"I've been told by the FBI and the state police to refer all questions to them," Montgomery said.
The victim's grandmother, Clara Bechen, of Waynesburg, called Martin "scum" and said she did not know of any problems between her family and Martin.
She said her granddaughter loved horses and went to the nearby horse farm where Martin worked to see the animals.
"We shared the same love of horses," Clara Bechen said.
She doesn't believe her granddaughter had a chance to escape from Martin.
"If she could have had a way to get out, she would have," Clara Bechen said.
According to the affidavit that accompanied the charges:
Martin told state police that he grabbed the girl by the arm after she accused him of "misconduct toward the defendant." She broke free and ran down the driveway, but fell. Martin said he jumped on her and strangled her "until the victim quit moving."
Martin then used farm equipment to move the body across the road to a farm field where he buried it. He hid Gabrielle's helmet, shoes and vehicle in other holes that he had dug.
Greene County Deputy Coroner Mary Lewis said Bechen died of "asphyxiation due to manual strangulation by hands."
George Presock, a family friend who is acting as a family spokesman, said the parents, Christopher and Blanche Bierer Bechen, would not comment on the investigation yesterday.
After notifying FBI agents of his discovery Saturday night, Bedilion, a retired Pennsylvania Game Commission officer, ferried investigators back to the scene, where they uncovered the vehicle. He said the dirt was soft, and a 12-foot circle of manure had been spread over it.
"I said, this area is covered with horse manure. It doesn't take a genius to know it came from that horse farm," he said.
Then he heard an FBI agent say, "Go get that SOB."
When Bedilion drove his ATV back to the roadway, he saw Martin sitting handcuffed in the back seat of a police car. Then he said he heard agents and troopers discussing Martin's decision to lead them to the body.
"He said, 'I'll hurry this up for you, guys. You let me out and I'll take you to where I buried her helmet and shoes.' Then he said he would take them to the body."
The slaying stunned residents of New Geneva and Presock Road, where the farm is located.
"It's devastating," said Cindy Grim, who lives near the farm where Martin had been working for about two years. "He was quiet, just a quiet type of guy."
At the New Geneva Baptist Church, talk Sunday among parishioners centered on authorities being at Martin's home earlier and removing a computer, said Ralph Loring, 55, of New Geneva.
"It just goes to show you, you don't have to be in the city," Loring said. "We're here (in a rural area), and it's dangerous. It's always there."
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