Arizona Rancher's Slaying Spurs Calls For More Border Aid

The apparent slaying of a prominent Arizona rancher on his property near the Mexican border has inflamed tensions over illegal immigration and intensified calls for the federal government to ramp up protection along the increasingly perilous southern border.

Robert Krentz, 58, was found fatally shot Saturday. A helicopter crew with the Cochise County Sheriff's Office discovered his body inside his Polaris all-terrain vehicle along with his dog, which also had been shot and critically wounded.

Authorities say on the day of his death, Mr. Krentz sent his brother a message via radio phone, but his brother could only understand the words "illegal alien" and "hurt." Mr. Krentz is thought to have fled from the site of the shooting, eventually coming to a halt about 1,000 feet away.

Search teams from the sheriff's office, the Border Patrol and state Department of Corrections followed foot tracks from the site for about 20 miles in the direction of the border but failed to capture any suspects. Mexican authorities have been notified and are cooperating with the search, said Cochise County spokeswoman Carol Capas.

"It's a big deal. It's something that could be a turning point here," said Ms. Capas following a Monday press conference by Sheriff Larry Dever in Bisbee, Ariz. "People in the area are on heightened alert. They're grief-stricken, saddened, and they're extremely angry."

Speculation was rampant that the killer was connected with Mexico's violent drug cartels, which have laid siege to communities south of the border. The drug lords may have used the remote 35,000-acre Krentz Ranch to ferry drugs into the United States.

The day before the shooting, Mr. Krentz's brother found eight illegal aliens on the ranch. They were taken into custody by Border Patrol, along with several hundred pounds of marijuana, said Ms. Capas.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona Democrat, whose district includes the Krentz Ranch, called on the Obama administration to heighten enforcement along the border.

"If, as suspected, this tragedy was connected to smugglers or drug cartels, the federal government must respond appropriately," Mrs. Giffords said. "All options should be on the table, including sending more Border Patrol agents to the area and deploying the National Guard."

Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, who's challenging Arizona Sen. John McCain for the Republican nomination, issued a statement calling for a greater federal role in protecting the border. Mr. Hayworth, a border-security hawk, has made illegal immigration a major issue in the primary campaign.

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