Brandon James Lenker was 36 when his body was found on the Fort Hall reservation on April 27, 2016. A resident near Rapid Creek Road, north of Inkom, reported the discovery; an autopsy showed Lenker had been shot in the head.

Investigators charged two people in connection with the killing: 26-year-old Michael Angelo Miera and his 19-year-old cousin and girlfriend, Janeal Elizabeth Miera. In July 2016 Michael Miera faced a first-degree murder charge with a weapons enhancement and Janeal Miera was charged as a principal to first-degree murder. Both had been jailed in May after a multi-agency pursuit through Bannock County and the Fort Hall reservation that ended when a deputy’s PIT maneuver caused their pickup to roll several times.

During that earlier chase Michael Miera, a registered sex offender, allegedly struck a Fort Hall officer with his vehicle while spike strips were being deployed and had three outstanding warrants; investigators were also seeking him for questioning in the theft of an SUV that Lenker was considered a suspect in. The stolen vehicle was recovered in the Portneuf River.

Did anyone in the area around Rapid Creek Road or Portneuf River see signs of the stolen SUV or remember the May pursuit?