FBI believes bodies of Israeli men found

Jen Lawson

Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2003 | 11:22 a.m.

The bodies of two people, believed to be Israeli men who authorities said came to Las Vegas to be nightclub disc jockeys, were found Sunday near Barstow, Calif.

FBI officials have three suspects in custody in California on federal kidnapping charges.

A car belonging to Benjamin Wertzberger was found Dec. 7 outside a Metro Police substation downtown with the keys in the ignition. The missing men's belongings were scattered inside.

Metro suspected that Wertzberger and his friend, Adar Neeman, both 25, decided to disappear in Las Vegas as many people do. But now authorities said they were kidnapped and killed over an alleged drug rip-off in the Los Angeles area.

FBI agents recovered the remains Sunday northeast of Barstow. The bodies were stacked in a grave about 32 inches deep, authorities said. Investigators are awaiting the results of an autopsy to confirm the victims are Wertzberger and Neeman.

"We're pretty confident it's them," Los Angeles FBI spokesman Matthew McLaughlin said.

Shane Huang, 34; Benjamin Frandsen, 29; and Ora Vossen, 38, were arrested last week in connection with the disappearance. The location of the bodies was provided to investigators by one of the suspects, although it wasn't specified which one, according to an FBI press release.

Court documents allege that Huang believed Wertzberger, who had been staying at his home until October, had stolen his marijuana.

Wertzberger returned to Huang's home Dec. 2, where Huang and Frandsen took him and Neeman captive, the complaint said. Huang bought a shovel, rope and other items from a hardware store, it said.

Avi Benami, a private investigator who was hired by the men's families after they disappeared, said he has several theories as to why Wertzberger's car ended up in Las Vegas.

"Either they arrived in Las Vegas and shortly after that they were killed, they were taken or followed to Las Vegas and killed, or killed on the way to Las Vegas," he said.

All three suspects are being held without bail in federal detention facilities. If convicted, Huang and Frandsen face life in prison, while Vossen faces five years. The Associated Press

contributed to this story.