Noted therapist found slain, with dog still on leash, on Marin trail

The Marin County Sheriff's Office has identified Morrison Haze Lampley, 23, as a suspect in the homicide of Steve Carter near Fairfax. This photo was taken in a convenience store in Fairfax. The Marin County Sheriff's Office has identified Morrison Haze Lampley, 23, as a suspect in the homicide of Steve Carter near Fairfax. This photo was taken in a convenience store in Fairfax. Photo: Marin County Sheriff Photo: Marin County Sheriff Image 1 of / 22 Caption Close Noted therapist found slain, with dog still on leash, on Marin trail 1 / 22 Back to Gallery

A hiker shot to death on a scenic fire trail in Marin County with his wounded dog still attached to a leash in his hand was a prominent tantra teacher and massage therapist who was staying with friends in the area while he cared for his cancer-stricken wife, authorities and his brother said Tuesday.

The body of Steve Carter, 67, was discovered shortly after 6 p.m. Monday by a hiker in the Loma Alta Open Space Preserve north of Fairfax. Investigators believe the attacker or attackers took Carter’s keys, then stole his station wagon from a nearby lot.

Neither the killer nor the car were immediately found, but detectives released surveillance footage late Tuesday of two “persons of interest” seen near the fire trail where the body was found.

The footage, taken from a convenience store in Fairfax, shows a long-haired man wearing a black hat with light colored feathers or something similar attached to the brim. He is wearing a black jacket open at the collar. A woman with dirty-blond hair tied in back, wearing dark or black clothing, is also seen in the store.

Dream home in Costa Rica

Carter and his wife, Lokita Carter, sold their home and business in Middletown (Lake County) several months ago and moved to Costa Rica, where they built their dream home, according to friends. But the couple recently returned to California so that Lokita Carter could be treated after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Steve Carter was shot multiple times as he hiked on Old Railroad Grade Fire Road, about 100 yards from Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, said Marin County sheriff’s Lt. Doug Pittman. He said bullet casings were found next to the body, but the gun had not been recovered.

A Doberman pinscher believed to be the victim’s dog was also shot, but was alive and being treated by a veterinarian.

“I’ve heard that he was murdered, but I haven’t heard anything other than that,” said Michael Carter of Fresno, the victim’s brother. “I can’t imagine that it’s anything other than a random thing. All of it seems very random and unbelievable. Nothing makes any sense.”

The motive in the slaying remained a mystery as law enforcement officers from several agencies searched for clues. The killer or killers are believed to have fled the scene in the victim’s silver 2003 Volkswagen Jetta station wagon with California license plate 6PPG662.

“Anyone who spots the car should call 911 and treat the occupants as armed and dangerous,” Pittman said during a news conference near the crime scene.

Pittman said the people in the surveillance video were seen near where Carter was killed. There is a third person of interest in the killing, he said, but that person is not seen on the video.

Authorities did not say where the footage had been filmed. However, a clerk at the 7-Eleven store on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Fairfax told The Chronicle that sheriff’s investigators had looked at video from that store.

“You never know what the big piece of evidence is going to be, so we are looking at everything,” Pittman said.

Tantra teacher

Steve Carter and his wife founded the Ecstatic Living Institute, based in Middletown. He was a tantra teacher and participated in numerous trainings across the country and in Costa Rica. The couple released DVDs on Tantric massage, yoga for lovers and meditation, and taught classes at Harbin Hot Springs, which burned down last month in Lake County’s Valley Fire.

Terri Zacanti, who described herself as an old friend of the couple, burst into tears when she heard news of the attack.

“Steve was one of the most gentle, kind, sweet and funny men I have ever known,” said Zacanti, who lives in Montezuma, Costa Rica. “He’s all about love, this guy. He was the most loving, beautiful man you can imagine. This is such a violent waste — an absolute incredible tragedy.”

She said the Carters had built a home in Montezuma where they “were planning on living their dream together.”

But then Lokita Carter was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the couple was on the move again, staying with friends in Fairfax while she received treatment. She blogged about her chemotherapy treatments and how her husband, her primary caregiver, had helped her. She wrote how they had recently celebrated the 17th anniversary of their first kiss.

Caregiver to wife

“The side effects of chemotherapy can knock down even the best meditator, the most docile patient, and Steve has been nothing but exemplary, loving, kind, patient,” she wrote in a recent blog. “I so admire his ability to self-care. He goes to Yoga every single day and for a 2-hour walk with the dog so that he can be in a clear, grounded caregiver space.”

Steve Carter’s body was found on a well-maintained hiking trail, with stairs made out of railroad ties leading down from Sir Francis Drake.

Crime-scene tape blocked the trail Tuesday as sheriff’s investigators from Marin, Sonoma, Contra Costa and Alameda counties hunted for evidence. U.S. Park Police and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife used dogs to search for the gun, while an airplane with high-definition sensors circled the scene taking photographs.

Gunfire reported

Pittman said sheriff’s deputies had checked on a report of gunfire about 45 minutes before the body was discovered, but the report took them to another nearby canyon, and they did not see anything.

The killing left hikers and bicyclists who frequent the preserve in disbelief.

Ben Tedder, 27, of Fairfax was hiking near where the shooting occurred Monday evening and was heading toward the Railroad Grade trail when he was questioned by deputies.

“They just wanted to know if I’d seen anyone suspicious or anyone at all, but I could tell from the way they were talking that something bad had happened,” Tedder said while waiting for a bus in downtown Fairfax on Tuesday.

Always felt safe

Tedder said he and his wife, who frequently walk their dog on the network of trails, have never felt unsafe.

“To hear that it could’ve just been random is really scary,” he said. “Kids go up there to tag or do graffiti in the tunnel up there, but nothing like this. Stuff like this doesn’t happen around here.”

John Boeschen, 69, of San Rafael said he rides his bike on the Railroad Grade trail on a weekly basis and has never seen anything out of the ordinary.

“I’ve always felt safe on the trail. I mean, this is Fairfax. I’m in shock,” Boeschen said. “... I don’t think this reflects what goes on in Marin County.”

Anyone with information about the slaying or the missing car was urged to call detectives at (415) 473-7265.

Kale Williams and Peter Fimrite are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com, pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale @pfimrite