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This incident occurred many years ago and upon further investigation I was able to determine that Widow Bates was a little confused about when she became aware of the Bowen Ranch. In her missing person's report, Widow Bates did not mention the Bowen Ranch "Ronnie wanted some "speed", he left the house looking for "speed" Nancy believes "speed" is methanphetamine, Ronnie rented a car and that she has not heard from him since Friday. Bates is driving a rental car which is four days overdue as of 1-22-97. Enterprise V.C. was advised to report the vehicle as a PC 503."
From Widow Bates investigation notes:
"Approx April 3, 1997 Nancy Bates puts an add in the local newspaper the Daily Press looking for Ronnie Bates missing person, missing car."
There was a reward offered in the newspaper ad for information leading to Ronnie.
"Approx April 15-17 Bates gets a call from Mike Castro on Bowen Ranch, he says he has found that car with the licence plate that was in the paper. He wants to know about the reward, Bates tells him the reward was not tof the car but for the missing person, Ronnie Bates, he asks if the car company was giving the reward, Bates responds no, she is looking for her husband
April 20, 1997 two people call two people call Bates, th ey say they are living with Mike Castro on Bowen Ranch, they say they have the rental agreement for Ronnies rental car, they say they have taken this agrteement down to Enterprise rent a car in Victorvill, to try to collect the reward, Bates tells them the reward is for her husband not for the return of the car
April 23, 1997, mike Mike Castro calls Bates and tells her not to give the reward to his partne partners, they are bad people he said the dome light was on in Ronnies car, and he had really found it, and the reward really belonged to him
he said his partners were bad and belonged in jail"
Mike Castro's partners at that time were Eric Heinricks and Michelle Hart. So Widow Bates did not know about the Bowen Ranch until April when she got a call from Mike Castro.
Question for Kevin, If you believe that Mike Castro is not a confidential informant then who is the confidential informant that the BLM are referring to and why is it that whenever we request information that involves Mike Castro, the agencies respond that this information is protected under confidential informant exemptions?