Delia D'Ambra

It wasn't until the murders were discovered that Lisa and Brandon's absence and all these other things made sense.

It was difficult for people who knew the young couple to think of anyone who would wanna harm them.

Paula told the press that neither of the victims had enemies, and Brandon's mother, Desiree, further suggested in comments she made that whatever happened to them seemed to be a random act of violence.

That theory, as frightening as it was, was a scenario law enforcement considered.

A lieutenant for the sheriff's office told the press, "...do we believe that this was a random act and that there's a crazy person running around?

Not necessarily.

Can we rule it out?

Not necessarily."

Still, there was no question that the slayings rattled some people who lived in the Greater Phoenix and Scottsdale areas.

Recreationalists were concerned about their safety, and some emphasized that they would be extra sure to arm themselves in the outdoors in light of what had happened.

One local business owner who ran a trading post store told reporter Carol Sowers that over the years, more and more people began flocking to the desert north of Phoenix to hike, off-road, and camp.

And that had drawn unwanted incidents of crime, but nothing as serious as a double murder.

Meanwhile, detectives emphasized that in order to properly assess the safety risk for the area, they needed to speak with the couple's friends and acquaintances or any potential witnesses who might have been off-roading or camping in the Bumblebee area on Friday night and Saturday morning.

A lieutenant for the sheriff's office stated in part, "'Because this is such a popular weekend area and so many come here, we want the public's help if they were up here camping and saw anything at all.'"

One challenge with finding critical witnesses, though, was the fact that there were so many potential witnesses to weed through.

Where Lisa and Brandon had gone camping was considered an undesignated campsite in a landscape that saw a considerable uptick in visitors during the fall and winter months.

Like the lieutenant for the sheriff's office stated, the weekend the crime occurred was a time when lots of folks visited the desert.

One police source even estimated there were close to 1,000 visitors in the area when the slayings happened.

It was common for drivers to just pull off Interstate 17 onto another road and stay overnight.

However, that wasn't a practice that public safety officials encouraged.