Past of man accused in Wis. abductions examined

Wood County Sheriff Thomas Reichert said his agency will dig into Edward Lanphear's past and cross-reference him with other missing-persons cases. Other law enforcement agencies likely will do the same, he said.

Lanphear, 46, of Saratoga, is being held on $1 million bond after police said he held two men in his house, stripped them, beat them and sexually assaulted them several times. Police say that after one of the men managed to escape, officers found the other in Lanphear's basement.

Lanphear's attorney has disputed the allegations. Formal charges have not yet been filed.

Online court records in Wisconsin show nothing for Lanphear except a divorce.

The case has shocked Wisconsin Rapids, a city of about 18,000 north of Saratoga.

Robin Smalley, 45, lives near Lanphear in a rural subdivision with large, wooded lots. She met him two years ago when their sons took a hunter safety class together.

Smalley described Lanphear as a quiet but friendly man who worked hard and had a nice home and truck. He "latched onto" her 13-year-old son and wanted the boy to shoot at the range behind his house, she said. Her son never went.

Smalley wondered what would have happened to the missing men if they hadn't been found. It wasn't unusual to hear shots in their neighborhood, she said.

"He could easily kill someone with a gun," she said. "No one would bat an eye. Everyone shoots out here."