RAY BROOK — It’s been more than a week since the abandoned truck, belonging to Anthony G. Bechand, a 53-year-old man wanted in connection with the Sept. 13 stabbing death of his girlfriend, was found in Brighton. As of Thursday, New York State Police say they have no new information on his potential whereabouts; however, they believe he may be alive.
State Police and law enforcement said, at a press conference Thursday, they have not come across any sightings of him, and they don’t have any “conclusive” evidence to point to him being deceased.
“We believe that it’s less likely that he’s deceased and more likely that he’s alive and still here in the area,” said U.S. Marshal Service Assistant Chief Inspector Stu Smith, though he said it was also “viable” that Bechand may have hitched a ride out of the area.
“We think it’s most probable that if he were to have committed suicide, that it would have been somewhat close to where the truck was,” he said. “Because of that comprehensive search of the region, and not discovering his remains, that leads me to believe that he’s likely to still be alive.”
Bechand’s truck was found at the intersection of county Route 60 and state Route 86 in Brighton around 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 14. Police said they found evidence, including blood, at the truck, suggesting that Bechand suffered some sort of injury “to his left side.”
State Police Senior Investigator Trevor Giroux said there was not enough evidence to determine what that injury may be, or if it would have impacted Bechand’s mobility or ability to survive on the run.
Giroux also confirmed that Bechand’s truck had run out of gas when it was found. He added that there have been no financial or cellular records for Bechand since the search began, noting that the last known cellular location was at the truck — but that no cellphone was found at the scene.
“There (are) no sightings of him since we know that the truck was here,” he said.
Bechand is described as a white male who is approximately 5’11” tall, weighs between 180 and 210 pounds and has hazel eyes and grayish-brown hair. His clothing and direction of travel are both unknown. There is a combined $7,500 reward for information leading to his location and potential arrest.
Police believe Bechand acted alone in allegedly committing the homicide, but are unsure if he received help — intentionally or unintentionally — with the escape in this area. They also believe he traveled to the Tri-Lakes region alone and that he has no known connections to the area, aside from the family of his girlfriend, Amanda Margaret “Mandee” Rodriguez, 41, who has ties to Franklin County. They added that Bechand’s family and close contacts have all been cooperative in the investigation.
Police said it was an obvious thought and consideration, but they have come across no evidence suggesting that Rodriguez’s family would be at an elevated level of danger. Police continue to stay in close contact with the family, and provide them with ongoing search updates.
Law enforcement pleaded for anyone who may have seen Bechand, has knowledge of his whereabouts or may have unknowingly given him a ride at some point to come forward.
“I assure you, there will be no legal consequences,” Arcari said. “Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to contact the New York State Police. We are asking you to share any tips, even if you believe they have already been reported to law enforcement.”
Despite the lack of leads, police said there are no plans to scale back resources dedicated to the search at this time.
“We have not even discussed it,” Smith said. “Right now, our posture is, ‘we’re all in.’ Our team up here and our law enforcement professionals and partners around the region are all in on this and our aim is to locate and capture him.”
The search has been active and ongoing, with 30 to 50 law enforcement professionals looking daily in the woods around where Bechand’s truck was found, according to police. The search area’s radius was described as being several miles in the hamlet of Gabriels.
“The heaviest concentration of our search has been a mile-and-a-half area north toward Malone and south toward Lake Clear,” said State Police Captain Peter C. Arcari, the acting commander for Troop B. “Our law enforcement partners are using a variety of resources, such as K-9’s, drones, helicopters and fixed aircraft. We are also using ATV’s, UTV’s and officers on foot.”
So far, Arcari said the search has covered over 600 miles of recorded tracks over an area covering more than 950 acres. Over 240 homes, structures and dwellings have been searched, with numerous interviews conducted at those with active residents. He said that during these searches, various methods have been used to include structured gridding techniques to help cover the densely-wooded area.
The search focused on camps, cabins and campsites on Thursday, given the rainy weather, according to Giroux.
“Any type of structure like that that somebody would try to get out of the weather,” he said.
He said there are different search plans each day, with Thursday focusing on the north and west portions of the search area.
State Police added that Canadian law enforcement has also been made aware of the situation, but has not come across any leads north of the border. It’s approximately 40 miles to the border from where Bechand’s truck was found, and police said it would be an extremely arduous trip by foot if that’s Bechand’s intent.
State Police said Bechand has no past criminal record, no signs of current or past drug use and has never been arrested before, but given the circumstances, the threat to the public remains.
State Police said more than 200 tips have come in, that law enforcement is following up “on anything,” and urged people to keep coming forward. Police said they were “extremely grateful” to the public for coming forward, even if it doesn’t lead them to the suspect.
They have received several tips of people bearing a close physical resemblance to Bechand, followed up on those and ruled out that those people did not have any connection — which is still extremely helpful information to know from a law enforcement perspective.
“You have somebody who we think is responsible for a homicide who is now desperate and on the run,” Smith said. “For those reasons, we think there is concern for the public.”
Law enforcement advised area residents and visitors to stay vigilant, be aware, consider not going places alone or make sure someone knows where they are going before heading out.
In addition to State Police and the U.S. Marshals, state Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Ranger Region 5 North Supervisor Lieutenant Megan LaPierre, and several members of the Cohoes Police Department, including Chief Todd Waldin stood at the press conference.
The U.S. Marshals Task Force; state DEC Forest Rangers; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Saranac Lake, Lake Placid and Plattsburgh police departments; the Franklin, Essex and Clinton counties sheriff offices; the northern regional response team and several other agencies are assisting State Police and the Cohoes Police Department in this ongoing investigation.
According to Rodriguez’s obituary, she was born in Malone in 1983, grew up there and graduated from Franklin Academy High School in 2002. She worked for a brief time as a security guard at Paul Smith’s College. In 2011, she was working as a lease agent in Clifton Park.
Her death has been ruled a homicide with the cause of death being hemorrhagic shock, lacerated aorta and multiple pulmonary lacerations from multiple sharp force trauma. Cohoes Police Chief Todd Waldin said she was stabbed in the heart, but the weapon used is unclear.
Police believe the murder happened on the morning of Sept. 13. Waldin said Bechand’s truck was seen leaving the house that day. Police tracked the truck via license plate readers to the North Country. New York State Police said Bechand’s white 2024 Chevrolet Silverado was located a day later, 150 miles away in Brighton.
Rodriguez was born in Malone to Robert Bell and Crystal McNamara Rodriguez, according to her obituary. She had a brother, a step-father “who she admired very much and referred to as dad” and four “fur babies” whom she loved as children.
Keeler said Rodriguez’s mother had not heard from her, so she asked Rodriguez’s friend to check on her. The friend found her body and called police, Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler said.
A celebration of her life will be held in Altona on Sept. 27, from noon to 4 p.m. in the Gold Room at the Rainbow Banquet Hall, 47 Woods Falls Road, Altona.
To read the full obituary, go to tinyurl.com/3r6f4c6f.