DNA to be tested in Jenner beach slayings

A dead fugitive?s DNA will be submitted for testing to determine whether he may have been responsible for the 2004 slayings of a couple on a beach near Jenner, authorities said Monday.

The fugitive, 62-year-old Joseph Henry Burgess, died in a gun battle with a New Mexico sheriff?s deputy, who also was killed.

Sonoma County detectives seized evidence during their trip to New Mexico last week that they will test for possible connections to the Jenner case, according to a sheriff?s department press release.

But other than DNA, the release did not provide specifics on what that evidence entails. It also stated the department will not comment further on the case unless new information becomes available.

Burgess is a person of interest in the slayings of Lindsay Cutshall, 22, and her fiance, Jason Allen, 26, whose bodies were found in August 2004 on a remote beach near Jenner.

The killings bore resemblance to the 1972 slayings of a young couple on a remote beach on Canada?s Vancouver Island. Burgess was the prime suspect in that case but had eluded capture for 37 years.

In both the Jenner and Canadian cases, the victims were open about their devout Christian beliefs and were shot in the head as they slept on remote beaches in sleeping bags.

Burgess, who was described by authorities as a religious zealot, reportedly took issue with the Canadian couple sleeping on the beach out of wedlock. He also had been seen with a .22-caliber rifle, the same caliber used in the slayings.

In the Jenner case, the .45-caliber Marlin rifle used to kill Cutshall and Allen has not been found.

Neither has a blue pendant that was given to Cutshall by a Sebastopol surf shop owner after the couple stopped at the store for directions to a beach where they could camp for the night.

Authorities say whether or not Burgess killed the couple, proving it will be difficult as he was skilled at living off the grid and concealing his whereabouts.

They had no idea Burgess was even alive prior to his death after he illegally entered a cabin where two New Mexico sheriff?s deputies were staked out in an effort to nab a person who had been breaking into vacation homes for a decade.

Sgt. Joe Harris of the Sandoval County Sheriff?s Department died after Burgess managed to fire a .357 revolver despite being handcuffed.

The FBI determined that the weapon belonged to a New Mexico man who was reported missing in 2007, raising the possibility that Burgess was responsible for his death.