2nd man in relics case kills himself

A second man indicted following a federal bust on illegal looting of archaeological artifacts has committed suicide.

Steven L. Shrader, 56, of Santa Fe, N.M., was found behind Shabbona Elementary School in Shabbona, Ill., about 1 a.m. Friday, DeKalb County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Kevin Hickey said.

Deputies and rescue personnel provided first aid to Shrader until a helicopter arrived. Shrader was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later.

"Sheriff's investigators have determined that the individual took his own life by two self-inflicted gunshot wounds," Hickey said.

The sheriff's office responded to a call of a despondent man about 11 p.m. Deputies arrived and learned Shrader had left for a relative's home on foot, according to Hickey. An extensive search ensued, and a tracking dog located Shrader behind the school.

Shrader was charged last week with two felony counts of theft of government property accusing him of trafficking a pair of ancient sandals and a basket, each valued at more than $1,000. The charges against 24 people came after a 21/2-year federal probe that spanned the Four Corners area.

FBI Special Agent-In-Charge Timothy Fuhrman issued a statement confirming the suicide. He said Shrader had voluntarily turned himself in at FBI offices in Santa Fe on June 12 and was taken into custody based on the federal warrant. He was released from custody after his initial appearance in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., on Monday and federal agents returned him to Santa Fe the same day, Fuhrman said Friday. "Shrader had been scheduled to make an initial appearance in Salt Lake City, Utah, this morning."

When contacted by telephone Friday, Shrader's family in Shabbona declined to comment.

Shrader's attorney, Henri Sisneros, said he had only spoken with Shrader via telephone and the two had not even met yet. Sisneros said the news of Shrader's death was a "shock."

Steve Killpack, a federal public defender in Salt Lake City, said his office spoke with Shrader earlier in the week in anticipation of Friday's scheduled court appearance in Utah.

"He outlined what I thought was a plausible defense," Killpack said.

A day after being charged last week, a prominent southeastern Utah doctor also charged in connection with the same artifacts-theft crackdown was found dead on his Blanding property. The San Juan County Sheriff's Office determined the death of Dr. James Redd, 60, was a suicide, as well.

Redd had been charged with one felony count of theft of Indian tribal property.

At a news conference Wednesday, U.S. Attorney for Utah Brett Tolman expressed sympathy for Redd's family. Tolman said he believes Redd could have "put this behind him and lived a productive life."

The case was touted by federal officials as the nation's largest-ever investigation into the theft of archaeological objects. Shortly after the indictments were announced, however, federal officials came under fire, accused of heavy-handed tactics during raids on a dozen homes June 10.

U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, both R-Utah, called on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate how the arrests were carried out. Holder defended the arrests, saying they appeared to conform with standard operating procedures.

Contributing: Associated Press

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