Neighbors of a slain Lecompton man are looking at the Scenic River Road that winds through northwest Douglas County as one possible link to his killing.

It’s common to see people who don’t live in the area cruising slowly along the road, they say. In 2002, the body of a slain Topeka man was found dumped along the same stretch of road.

“You see a lot of people,” neighbor Virgil King said. “Some are poaching, hunting. Some are looking at the scenery. Some are just looking to see what they can get into.”

King lives about a mile from where 77-year-old David Boose was found killed Friday night in his home at 194 North 2190 Road. As of Tuesday, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office had not said how Boose died, who was suspected of killing him or why.

Sheriff Ken McGovern said investigators were considering “multiple suspects” and had followed about 50 leads as of Tuesday. Lawrence Police helped with the initial crime-scene investigation, which ended Tuesday afternoon.

Beyond that, McGovern would not discuss details of what happened to Boose. He said there were some facts about the death that only the killer knows, and he wants to keep it that way for now.

He said residents should take normal safety precautions and shouldn’t hesitate to report anything unusual to police.

“I think people are safe, but I think they just need to be cautious about coming home at night or leaving,” he said. “If something doesn’t look right in their area, just call us.”

Boose and his wife founded David’s Jewelers in downtown Topeka in 1968. He retired about a decade ago. His wife, Nancy Boose, died in 1986.

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Virgil King and his wife, Bonnie, both 70, described Boose as a talented and inspiring figure. They said his heart problems and shaking hands didn’t keep him from hobbies such as rebuilding and playing stringed instruments.

“There wasn’t nothing could kill him but somebody,” King said. “He might have lived to be 100.”

Lecompton Postmaster Vicki Bahnmaier, who lives a few miles from Boose, used to deliver his mail in the early 1980s. She said she once complimented him on a restored antique car in his garage. He told her, “Well, honey, just let me show you” and invited her to look inside the car, she said.

Since the discovery of Boose’s death, some of the post office’s customers have expressed concern about their own safety, Bahnmaier said. Others have speculated he died in a burglary, she said.

“If it was robbery, why’d they have to hurt him?” she asked.

But mostly, Bahnmaier said, people are mourning the loss of a well-liked neighbor.

“This neighborhood is really upset because he was a great man,” she said. “We just don’t understand why.”