200 Seek Evidence in Killing of 5 Students

GAINESVILLE, Fla. —  Two-hundred searchers Thursday poked through swamps and wooded areas around the apartment of a prime suspect in the killings of five college students.

Police expected to take two days to cover nine areas totaling about 10 square miles near the residence of University of Florida freshman Edward Lewis Humphrey.

“It’s a long, slow process,” said Alachua County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Spencer Mann.

Searchers included Florida National Guardsmen carrying metal detectors and rods for probing the ground, sailors from the Orlando Naval Training Center, military reserve officers and police from state and local agencies. Dog teams were called in, but searchers said authorities have been secretive about what was sought.