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So a guy as smart and resourceful as he appears to be (for better or worse), would decide to hastily dump key evidence in his own farm?

Obviously various dynamics at play here, especially if just a person of interest; the cops going full out on a search is probably as putting the screws to him mentally by show of manpower, than thinking they are finding anything walking through the grass.

Also though, are the cops just investigating him because he was related to a family member and has a criminal past? A criminal past that doesnt seem to show violent crime? He probably went to the estate sale as an extended relative of the people involved, and then his name pops up in the database when family lists names of extended relatives (common law) that they know, or they know showed up to the sale...and being the lone criminal in the family, he automatically gets extra attention, in a case that had no leads for the first day or so.