Search for Fugitive Survivalist Leads to 'Haunted' Hotel

As authorities continue to search for a survivalist suspected in the shooting of two Pennsylvania state troopers, the trail—which has included diapers and cigarettes—has taken them to an abandoned hotel. Locals call the place, which hasn't been used this century, haunted, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. A trooper says Eric Frein was "familiar with" the Buck Hill Inn in Monroe County, and officials secured the area today, but apparently didn't find Frein; they'd left by the early afternoon, the Inquirer notes.

Meanwhile, more details about Frein are emerging. He was involved in Vietnam War re-enactments, and he's in a documentary about the subject due for release, CNN reports. Most re-enactors are hobbyists, but some are deeply invested in what they do, the director tells CNN: "There is the point in which the fantasy of being a soldier kind of gets blurred and they become a soldier," he notes, "and I think that's what we are seeing here with Eric." According to police, Frein has "experimented with explosives," and a search of a hard drive he used showed information on "how to avoid police manhunts, use of various law enforcement technologies, and skills related to survival." He likely planned the attack for two years, police note. (More Pennsylvania stories.)