Northern California officers seek triple homicide suspect

photo Shasta County Sheriff's deputies investigate the scene of a triple homicide Wednesday, May 8, 2013 in Shingletown, Calif. Authorities in rural Northern California on Wednesday were searching for a man suspected of fatally shooting his wife and two young daughters at their home. Shane Franklin Miller, 45, was on the loose a day after the killings in Shingletown, Shasta County sheriff's officials said.

PETROLIA, Calif. - More than 70 law enforcement officers were part of the ongoing hunt Sunday for a Northern California man wanted in the killing of his wife and two young daughters.

The Humboldt County Sheriff's Department said SWAT teams from three counties, federal officials and local police continued to search through the rugged terrain of California's remote North Coast for Shane Franklin Miller.

On Saturday two helicopters and an armored vehicle joined the effort.

Miller, 45, is suspected of slaying his family Tuesday night in the rural community of Shingletown, then fleeing to Humboldt County, where low fog and dense brush offer plenty of cover.

Miller - who is considered armed and extremely dangerous - grew up in the area and knows the thick forests of the region very well, officials said.

Authorities were searching for Miller through a wilderness area, much of it federal land, with poor roads and limited access.

Area residents were being asked to report any break-ins or other unusual activities. They were also being asked to stay inside once night falls and to keep their doors locked.

Investigators have recovered Miller's pickup truck after it was found abandoned Wednesday night near Petrolia, about 200 miles west of the home that Miller shared with his wife, Sandy, 34, and daughters, Shelby, 8, and Shasta, 5.

There have been no sightings of Miller since the truck was found, officials said.

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