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Thomas, Tyler 12/3/10; Peru, NE homicide/no body found
Topic Started: Dec 8 2010, 11:01 PM (983 Views)
mimi
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http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20024988-504083.html

Tyler Thomas Missing: FBI Joins Search for Nebraska College Student
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Tyler Thomas (Personal Photo)
PERU, Neb. (CBS/KMTV/AP) The mission to find a missing Nebraska college student intensified as the FBI joined the search for the 19-year-old student who was last seen Friday leaving an off-campus party.

Law enforcement continues to search for Peru State freshman Tyler Thomas who was last seen around 1:30 a.m. Friday leaving the campus-dubbed "baseball house" less than a mile from her dormitory, reports CBS affiliate KMTV.

Peru State President Dan Hanson says the FBI joined the case after the Nebraska Highway Patrol registered Thomas' disappearance with the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children, reports KOLN/KGIN.

Campus security cameras caught the teen crossing campus and then again one block from her destination; however, it does not appear she ever made it to her dormitory which should have been visible from where she stood, reports The Omaha World-Herald.

One of Thomas' friends says she received an odd text message from Thomas right around the time she disappeared claiming she did not know where she was.

Shortly after receiving the text message, her friends scoured the campus, but to no avail. They reported her missing at 3 a.m., says The Omaha World-Herald.

Although Nemaha County Sheriff Brent Lottman would not confirm or deny the cell phone activity, he said authorities have followed up on all cell phone records.

"We have tried everything available. We're trying everything available to find her, we're not...we're not cutting corners," Lottman said.

Foul play has not been ruled out as a factor in Thomas' disappearance.

Thomas' parents told KMTV their daughter had no reason to take off, nor would she go this long without contacting her family. They are pleading with the public to help bring Tyler home.

Tyler Thomas, a Bellevue resident, is approximately 5-feet-5-inches tall, 140 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a teal shirt with green sweat pants, a scarf and ear muffs, reports The Lincoln Journal Star.
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monkalup
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Missing student sent odd text
By Martha Stoddard
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
« Metro/RegionShare Related News
•Arrest made in Peru State case
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PERU, Neb. — Five long days and four frigid nights have passed since Tyler “Ty” Thomas vanished from this out-of-the-way college town.

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Before she disappeared, the Peru State College student sent a puzzling text to a friend.

The message, sent in the early hours Friday, said Thomas didn't know where she was.

Jade Gordon of Omaha, a Peru State senior and Thomas' cousin, said she had been sitting next to the person who got the text.

That message got Thomas' friends worrying about the 19-year-old's well-being, a worry that appears well-founded as the days pass without word or sign of the Omaha Bryan High graduate.

Authorities on Tuesday finished up another day of searching with nothing new to report, said Nemaha County Sheriff Brent Lottman.

Dogs were brought in to help law officers with the search.

Thomas was last seen about 1:30 a.m. Friday. She was reported missing about 3 a.m.

Volunteers from the college and the community joined officers for searches on Saturday and Sunday that covered areas within a three- to five-mile radius of Peru. Helicopters helped with the Saturday search.

Many steep hills and gullies covered with brush and trees run through and around the village, set in the Missouri River bluffs.

Peru State friends began looking for Thomas after getting the text message, Gordon said. They reported her missing soon after.

In retrospect, Gordon said, the message doesn't make sense.

According to authorities, Thomas was last seen walking the mile back to her dormitory from an off-campus party.

She appeared on a security camera crossing campus and was spotted about a block from her destination, near the town's water tower, about 1:30 a.m. The dormitory should have been visible from there.

Gordon said she has been told that her cousin made another phone call after sending the text. She said she doesn't know whom Thomas might have called, and there have been no contacts since.

Lottman would not confirm the reports of a text message and later phone call.

But he said authorities have followed up on all cell phone records. He said the phone company has cooperated with the search.

“We have explored everything out there,” Lottman said.

He said the Otoe County sheriff, Nebraska State Patrol and FBI are helping with the investigation.

A representative of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is on campus to assist law enforcement officers and the family, said Regan Anson, a Peru State spokeswoman.

Lottman said the FBI was brought in because of its expertise in missing person's cases, not because there has been a determination that foul play was involved in Thomas' disappearance.

“We're keeping all options open,” he said. “We're hoping that somebody knows something.”

Lottman said he was uncertain whether Thomas had been drinking the night she disappeared.

Family and friends dismiss any suggestion that the Bellevue student might have taken off on her own.

Thomas did not have a vehicle, she had left her purse and coat in her dorm room, and she had showed no signs of unhappiness, they said.

Thomas was known for her outgoing, fun and talkative personality. She recently found out she had been named captain of the college's newly formed dance team.

“She has family here. She has very, very close friends here,” said Ryan McClarty, a junior from Omaha.

Thomas' disappearance has Peru State students concerned, and they applauded the college's efforts to keep them updated on developments.

Elizabeth Busboom, a junior from Crete, said the campus has always seemed safe and friendly, but now she is “kind of paranoid.”

Peru State President Dan Hanson said the college has increased security since Friday, and he believes that has helped the mood on campus. He said what he hears from students is “hope, concern and uncertainty.”

Hope is definitely the watchword for Thomas' friends and family on campus.

“We don't really talk about her in the past tense,” Gordon said.


Contact the writer:

402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com


http://www.omaha.com/article/20101208/NEWS01/712089884/102
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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http://www.omaha.com/article/20101208/NEWS97/712099820/0
Arrest made in Peru State case
« Crime/CourtsShare Related News
•Missing student sent odd text
Nemaha County authorities have arrested one person in connection with the disappearance of Tyler “Ty” Thomas, a Peru State College freshman.

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The person was arrested for false reporting and tampering with evidence, college president Dan Hanson said Wednesday night.

Thomas remains missing. The Sheriff’s Office said it would have no comment on the arrest until Thursday morning.

“We remain focused on supporting Tyler’s family and our student body during this difficult time,’’ Hanson said. “I am proud of the way everyone has come together and worked together in our efforts to locate Tyler.’’

Thomas, 19, was last seen about 1:30 a.m. Friday on the campus. She was returning to her dorm from an off-campus party.

Law officers and volunteers conducted several searches for Thomas in and around the Peru State campus in the past several days. The college also has tightened security on campus.


Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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http://www.ketv.com/r/26071591/detail.html
Security Tight After Student Vanishes
Peru State College Student Ty Thomas Missing Since Friday
POSTED: 8:22 pm CST December 8, 2010
UPDATED: 9:18 pm CST December 8, 2010
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Tyler Thomas More

PERU, Neb. -- In the five days since Peru State College student Ty Thomas disappeared, her classmates said they've seen extra security on campus.

"There's a lot more security guards here," said Thomas's suitemate Ashley Schneider.

Thomas, of Bellevue, was walking home from an off-campus party when she vanished. Organized searches have found nothing and the Nemaha County sheriff said he has no immediate plans to launch more.

Peru State College president Daniel Hanson said the school has been proactive.

"We stepped up security in the area," Hanson said.

The sheriff has received help from the Nebraska State Patrol, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the FBI. So far, investigators said there has been no sign of foul play.

A security camera provided the last taped images of Thomas at about 1:30 a.m. last Friday.

Students and friends said it's been difficult to deal with.

"It's better when we're around people, but when we're alone, it's hard to deal with," said friend Chloe Courtier. "(I'm) just lost for words right now. I really am."

She said she got a troubling text from her friend just before she disappeared.

"She was just saying that she doesn't know where she's at and, 'I'm walking around outside,'" Courtier said.
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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http://www.action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=13634862
Search Dogs Join the Fight to Find Tyler Thomas
FEATURED VIDEO
Search Dogs Join the Fight to Find Tyler Thomas Peru, NE - New details in the search for missing college student, Tyler Thomas, she vanished last Friday.

We've learned the mission to find her has intensified.

Tuesday we headed to Peru State College in southeast Nebraska and found search dogs on the campus.

Students on the campus are feeling the pain with one of their own missing.

You can see the emotion on their faces as they watch the law enforcement presence growing on the campus.

Search dogs pack up for the night after combing the grounds unsuccessfully.

The sun setting on the tiny town of Peru, in southeast Nebraska, another day without answers to the question: what happened to Tyler Thomas?

"We have tried everything available. We're trying everything available to find her, we're not we're not cutting corners," says Sheriff Brent Lottman.

We've learned Tyler was on her way back from a party at an off campus house, the house known to students as the baseball house.

We tried to talk to the person who lives there, but they have no comment.

Tyler walked about six tenths of a mile, from the baseball house to where she was last seen by the water tower, which is only a few hundred feet away from her dorm building.

Investigators say Tyler has did have cell phone with her. Students tell KMTV Action 3 news that a call or text is made right before she goes missing.

"She called one of her friends and said she didn't know where she was," says Peru State student Patrick Horn.

The Sheriff's department can't confirm or deny what the students are saying.

In an interview with KMTV Action 3 news on Monday Ty's parents says she wouldn't just take off.

"She would never go this long without contacting someone from her family, this is not her."

Meantime on campus the mood is somber. Missing posters now pinned on doors.

"It's kind of a stressful time, especially for all the students here trying to handle finals and get out and search, it's just terrible," says Peru State College Student Matt Coleman.

Investigators are still following up on leads. The Sheriff's Department says they hope someone saw or knows something. They are asking for the public's help to find Tyler Thomas.

If you know anything you are asked to call the Nemaha County Sheriff's Department at 402-274-3139.



Reported By: Adam Racusin, aracusin@action3news.com
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regi...2500712e25.html
Peru State College freshman still missing
StoryDiscussionPeru State College freshman still missing
By the Lincoln Journal Star JournalStar.com | Posted: Tuesday, December 7, 2010 7:00 pm | (6) Comments

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Tyler "Ty" Thomas, missing Peru State College woman (courtesy photo) .
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Related: Authorities searching for missing Peru State College student
PERU -- Law enforcement officers and other agencies continue to investigate the whereabouts of Tyler "Ty" Thomas, a Peru State College freshman who has not been seen since early Friday morning.

The Nemaha County Sheriff's Office, the Nebraska State Patrol and the FBI are involved in the investigation.

At 3 a.m. Friday, Thomas was reported missing after attending an off-campus party in Peru. She was last seen at 1:30 a.m. walking toward the Centennial Complex residence hall on the southwest side of Peru. More than 120 students, faculty, staff and Peru residents searched for hours Saturday and Sunday in and around Peru.

A Bellevue resident, Thomas, 19, is described as a black female, 5 feet 5 inches tall, 140 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a teal shirt with green sweat pants, a scarf and ear muffs.

Anyone with information pertaining to her whereabouts is asked to call the Nemaha County Sheriff's Office a 402-274-3139.

Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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http://www.action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=13641218
Tyler Thomas Still Missing, Students Speak Out
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Tyler Thomas Still Missing; Students Speak Out
Tyler Thomas Still Missing, Students Speak Out Peru, NE- "It's college. It's the weekend. People are always getting together to watch football games or whatever," say renters at 908 5th Street in Peru, Nebraska. They don't want to be identified, but for the first time these student speak out. They were in the off-campus house on 5th Street for a party the morning Tyler Thomas went missing.

"It would have been a typical party, just a bunch of college kids getting together had this not happened," they say.

What exactly happened to Thomas, investigators are still trying to figure out.

The renters say Thomas stopped by their house during a party early Friday morning. They say she was only there for a few minutes looking for a friend, then left.

"She was right on the porch and that's the only time I saw her," they say. "Last we know, she went back up the alley where she came from, but we really don't know whose house or where she ended up."

Thomas left the party and was last seen at the water tower, near campus, walking back to her dorm early Friday morning.

Five days later, she's still missing.

It's a shock for the small campus, and even smaller town.

"You don't really think those things happen in small town," says Peru junior, Dawn Potter. "Maybe Omaha or something like that and it's an everyday occurrence, but here, it's really not so when something like that happens its crazy and shakes people up a bit."

"Everyone is kind of down especially because of finals and everyone is looking for a reason to smile and to cheer up, but we don't have a reason to yet," says Peru junior Andre Wells.

The renters at the home on 5th Street say they're worried about Thomas as well and are hoping for the best.

"Everyone is trying to stay optimistic," they say. "All of us are hoping we find her and she is safe and everything is all right."

Reported by Sarah Te Slaa, steslaa@action3news.com
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
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Swansea man held in Nebraska student disappearance
Posted: 2 hrs, 26 mins ago


Omaha, Neb. (AP) -- A 29-year-old man told investigators that he drove a missing Peru State College student out of town, had sex with her and then got into a fight, according to court documents.

Joshua Keadle, 29, faces charges of providing false information and tampering with evidence in the disappearance of 19-year-old Tyler "Ty" Thomas, a freshman from Bellevue who was last seen Dec. 3. A release from the Nemaha County sheriff's office called Keadle a person of interest in the case.

Keadle, who's originally from Swansea, S.C., but has attended several Nebraska colleges in recent years, was held Friday in the Nemaha County jail. He was denied bond. Court records don't list his attorney.

The sheriff's office said Keadle has been suspended from Peru State, which is about 55 miles south of Omaha. College president Dan Hanson cited federal privacy law in a statement saying school officials would not release information about Keadle.

Thomas was last seen at 1:30 a.m. Dec. 3 as she was leaving an off-campus party in Peru, according school officials. She was reported missing about 3 a.m. Authorities, joined by dozens of volunteers, have been searching the area, including near the Missouri River.

Keadle initially reported seeing Thomas near her dorm early Dec. 3 but said he had no contact with her, according to an affidavit filed by sheriff Brent Lottman. Keadle later said they left Peru together and had sex in his vehicle, the affidavit said.

Keadle told investigators that a verbal and physical fight later erupted, with Thomas threatening to report that he had raped her, according to the affidavit. He returned to his dorm room and took a shower to wash off any physical evidence of their encounter, the sheriff's affidavit said.

The affidavit does not include information on when or how Keadle and Thomas parted ways. Messages left Friday for the sheriff and county attorney weren't immediately returned.

Before his arrest on Wednesday, Keadle told Omaha television station KMTV that he last saw Thomas walking toward a campus dorm in cold weather without a coat.

"It really didn't sink in 'til I seen, like, her family crying outside the hallway," he said. "Then it was like wow -- this could be serious."

Court records show Keadle was charged last month with criminal mischief in connection with a damaged door on campus. He also pleaded guilty to a theft charge in Dodge County stemming from an October 2009 incident and was fined.

Keadle previously attended other Nebraska colleges, including Wayne State and Midland, where he was on the football team, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. Messages left Friday for spokesmen at those schools weren't immediately returned.

Peru State is a small liberal arts school in the Nebraska State College System. According to school's website, it has about 2,100 students

http://www.midlandsconnect.com/news/story.aspx?id=552974
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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http://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-an...cf7bb1207a.html
Keadle bond hearing set for Tuesday; search for Tyler Thomas continues
StoryImage (5)Keadle bond hearing set for Tuesday; search for Tyler Thomas continues
By the Lincoln Journal Star JournalStar.com | Posted: Friday, December 10, 2010 11:12 am

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Nemaha County law enforcement personnel search the river near the boat landing less than two miles east of Peru as the search for Tyler Thomas continued Friday morning, Dec. 10, 2010. (ROBERT BECKER / Lincoln Journal Star) .
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Related: Man arrested in Peru State case says missing freshman Thomas was with him
Related: Peru State College freshman still missing
PERU - Joshua Keadle, 29, described by authorities as a "person of interest" in the Dec. 3 disappearance of Peru State College student Tyler "Ty" Thomas, is scheduled to make his first court appearance, a bond hearing, sometime after 9 a.m. Tuesday in Nemaha County Court in Auburn.

Keadle, who was arrested Wednesday and remains in jail, is charged with false reporting and tampering with evidence.

Meanwhile, the search for Thomas, a PSC freshman, continued Friday. Since Keadle's arrest, authorities have focused their search on a stretch of the Missouri River about 1 3/4 miles east of Peru at the end of a desolate dirt road. Friday afternoon, a small team of Nebraska State Patrol troopers combed the river from a boat.

Peru State College President Dan Hanson met with students at length Friday to discuss the search for Thomas. The meeting, like others earlier this week, was closed to non-students.

Thomas was last seen leaving an off-campus party about 1 a.m. Dec. 3.

Keadle, who lived in the same dormitory as Thomas, has told investigators he had "sexual contact" with Thomas around the time she went missing, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Nemaha County Court. County Sheriff Brent Lottman said Keadle initially had told investigators he had seen Thomas walking toward campus as he drove back to campus after a movie but that he had had no contact with her.

According to the affidavit, Keadle told patrol and FBI investigators he drove Thomas outside of town, where the two had "sexual contact." After Thomas threatened to tell others, according to the affidavit, that Keadle had raped her, the two had a physical and verbal confrontation, Keadle told investigators. The affidavit does not disclose anything more about the confrontation, nor what may have happened to Thomas.

In a campus interview Friday, Leslie Nunez, a friend of Thomas, said Thomas and Keadle didn't like each other. Nunez said Thomas never would have gotten into a car with Keadle.

Nunez also said Thomas wouldn't have run away from campus, especially not right before finals week.

"She was a hardworking girl," Nunez said. "She cares about her school, especially on finals week."

Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
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http://omaha.com/article/20101210/NEWS97/7...s-story-changed

Police say man's story changed

By Leslie Reed
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER


PERU, Neb. — Tyler Thomas was mad and crying and wanted to go back to her dorm room.

But her friends weren't ready to leave the off-campus party where they had been drinking shots of tequila followed by swigs of beer.

Thomas left without them, they said.

In the short distance between the yellow house on the hill north of campus and her room in Davidson Hall, the Peru State College freshman was picked up by a 29-year-old student who lived in the same residence hall.

That man, Joshua W. Keadle, has been jailed in Nemaha County on suspicion of lying to police and tampering with evidence.

In a court documents filed Thursday, authorities say Keadle told police that he saw Thomas walking along Park Avenue near the Centennial residence hall in the early morning hours of Dec. 3.

He told police that he drove Thomas outside of town and had sex with her in his car. Keadle told law officers that he and Thomas had a physical and verbal fight afterward and that she accused him of raping her.

Authorities aren't saying what happened after that — whether Thomas was left alive or dead. The court documents say Keadle told police that he returned to his dorm room “later that night” and showered to remove any physical evidence of his encounter with Thomas.

Keadle is considered a “person of interest” in the case, according to a press release from the Nemaha County Sheriff's Office.

Thomas, 19, of Bellevue, had not been found as of late Thursday night.

Police were searching for her in and near the Missouri River, with the aid of the Missouri Search and Rescue Team from Kansas City.

Besides suspicion of tampering with evidence, a felony, Keadle was arrested on suspicion of making false reports to investigators for his earlier statements, in which he told law officers he had seen Thomas walking along the street that night but had no contact with her.

Nemaha County Attorney Louie Ligouri declined to provide more details, saying he didn't want to jeopardize an ongoing investigation.

Leslie Nunez, 19, and Inori Hayashi, 18, were among the friends partying with Thomas that night. The three are members of the Paw Squad, the dance team founded by Thomas, its captain.

Nunez said she and Thomas shared clothes and frequently slept over in each other's dorm rooms.

That night, Nunez said, her friend had too much to drink and began arguing with another partygoer.

She said she took a cell phone photo of Thomas, intending to show it to her the next day — to say, “‘See, this is how you get when you're drunk, you fight too much.' It was the last one I took of her.”

Nunez said she herself had too much to drink. She said she told Thomas to “stand here with me” but at some point she lost track of her.

“I don't know if I left her or if she left me,” Nunez said. “It was a crowded party.”

Nunez said Keadle was not at the party.

She and Hayashi both said Thomas and Keadle disliked each other, and they couldn't understand why Thomas would get into a car with him.

The two friends said they disliked Keadle because he had made sexual comments to them.

At some point after she left the party, a family member has said, Thomas sent a text message to a friend saying that she didn't know where she was. Neither Nunez nor Hayashi got the text, they said.

Nunez said she's still hoping Thomas will be found alive.

“Ty cared so much about her studies and she cared so much about her dance team. She cared about her grades. Why would she miss class during dead week (the last week before final exams)? I just hope she's OK, and I hope everybody's praying like they say they are.”

On Thursday, students tied brightly colored ribbons onto a spruce tree near the Student Center in Thomas' honor.

“Missing” posters were displayed in the windows of campus buildings and downtown businesses. One business owner, who declined give her name, said townspeople feel wrenched by the incident. They take pride in providing a safe place for Peru students, she said.

“It's been a tough week,” said college President Dan Hanson. “None of us wants to lose hope.”

For the time being, the college is doing what it can to support Thomas' family and to answer questions raised by students and parents.

More than 100 students signed a banner in the Student Center wishing for Thomas' safe return.

Students said they remain puzzled about what happened to her. The party she attended was only a few blocks from campus.

“Nobody knows what to think,” said Kimberly Miller, 20, of Cheyenne, Wyo. “We're just shocked.”

Miller and Megan Stevens, 20, of McCool Junction, Neb., said they're a little more cautious, but they still walk on campus at night. Stevens said she holds her keys between her fingers for self-defense when she does.

Several students said they were among the hundreds of volunteers who helped search for Thomas last weekend. They're convinced that she's nowhere to be found on or near campus.

“Our searches were really thorough,” said Sean Lawler, 19, a freshman from Oakland, Neb.

Lawler and his buddy, Kyle Rieken, a 20-year-old junior from Tecumseh, Neb., said they coached a flag football team that included Thomas as a member.

“It's hard to believe she'd get kidnapped, because she's a tough girl. She would fight,” Lawler said.

Keadle is a junior studying sports management and exercise science. The Sheriff's Office reported that he had been suspended from school, but Peru State officials said privacy laws prevent them from saying whether the suspension came before or after Thomas' disappearance.

Keadle already faced a criminal mischief charge in Nemaha County Court for an Oct. 29 incident in which he broke the door to his residence hall room. Ligouri said the door wouldn't open, so Keadle allegedly broke it open.

Last year, Keadle was fined $200 and was ordered to pay $320 restitution after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge in Dodge County.

Court records list his permanent address as Swansea, S.C.

Thomas, of Bellevue, graduated from Omaha Bryan High School.

The African-American student is 5-foot-5, about 140 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a teal shirt, green sweat pants, a scarf and ear muffs.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call the Nemaha County Sheriff's Office at 402-274-3139.


Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
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NEWS RELEASE from the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office
http://www.nemahacounty.ne.gov/webpages/sheriff/sheriff.html
12/9/2010


(Peru, NE)- The investigation into the disappearance of Peru State College student Tyler Thomas continues.

On Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010, investigators arrested Joshua Keadle, 29, for Providing False Information and Tampering with Evidence in connection with the investigation into Thomas’ disappearance.

Keadle, a Peru State College student, has been identified as a person of interest in the case. He remains in the Nemaha County jail pending a court appearance.

Trained search dogs from STAR1 out of Iowa, and Missouri Search and Rescue (MOSAR), out of the Kansas City area, were utilized on Tuesday, Dec. 7 & Wed., Dec. 8, 2010, in the continued attempt to locate Thomas.

The Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office is being assisted in the investigation by the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Otoe County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska City Police Department, as well as Team Adam from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Peru State College administration and students remain cooperative with the investigation. Keadle has been suspended from Peru State College.

Anyone with information related to Thomas’ disappearance is asked to contact the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office at (402) 274-3139.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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http://www.action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=13634862

Search Dogs Join the Fight to Find Tyler Thomas

Peru, NE - New details in the search for missing college student, Tyler Thomas, she vanished last Friday.

We've learned the mission to find her has intensified.

Tuesday we headed to Peru State College in southeast Nebraska and found search dogs on the campus.

Students on the campus are feeling the pain with one of their own missing.

You can see the emotion on their faces as they watch the law enforcement presence growing on the campus.

Search dogs pack up for the night after combing the grounds unsuccessfully.

The sun setting on the tiny town of Peru, in southeast Nebraska, another day without answers to the question: what happened to Tyler Thomas?

"We have tried everything available. We're trying everything available to find her, we're not we're not cutting corners," says Sheriff Brent Lottman.

We've learned Tyler was on her way back from a party at an off campus house, the house known to students as the baseball house.

We tried to talk to the person who lives there, but they have no comment.

Tyler walked about six tenths of a mile, from the baseball house to where she was last seen by the water tower, which is only a few hundred feet away from her dorm building.

Investigators say Tyler has did have cell phone with her. Students tell KMTV Action 3 news that a call or text is made right before she goes missing.

"She called one of her friends and said she didn't know where she was," says Peru State student Patrick Horn.

The Sheriff's department can't confirm or deny what the students are saying.

In an interview with KMTV Action 3 news on Monday Ty's parents says she wouldn't just take off.

"She would never go this long without contacting someone from her family, this is not her."

Meantime on campus the mood is somber. Missing posters now pinned on doors.

"It's kind of a stressful time, especially for all the students here trying to handle finals and get out and search, it's just terrible," says Peru State College Student Matt Coleman.

Investigators are still following up on leads. The Sheriff's Department says they hope someone saw or knows something. They are asking for the public's help to find Tyler Thomas.

If you know anything you are asked to call the Nemaha County Sheriff's Department at 402-274-3139.

Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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http://www.omaha.com/article/20101214/NEWS97/712139868
Search for student suspended
By Juan Perez Jr.
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
« Crime/CourtsShare Related News
•Campuses combat party mindset
After a fruitless search of the Missouri River, the Nemaha County Sheriff's Office has suspended its organized search for missing Peru State College student Tyler "Ty" Thomas.

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Hundreds of volunteers, search dogs and law enforcement authorities spent days combing the river and its banks for signs of the 19-year-old freshman, who was reported missing on Dec. 3 after attending an off-campus party.

“We have exhausted all of our search efforts at this point,” said Nemaha County Sheriff Brent Lottman. “We continue to aggressively investigate Ty's disappearance and will resume searching should information become available.”

Authorities from the Nebraska State Patrol, FBI, two county sheriff's offices and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are assisting in the ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information that could help authorities is being urged to contact the Nemaha County Sheriff's Office.

* * * * *

Earlier Story:

By Leslie Reed
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

AUBURN, Neb. — The 29-year-old Peru State College junior being held in connection with the disappearance of a fellow student has been charged with rape in an unrelated case.

The charges were announced Tuesday during a bail hearing for Joshua Keadle in Nemaha County Court. The hearing was expected to focus on Keadle's arrest on suspicion of several crimes related to the Dec. 3 disappearance of Tyler Thomas of Bellevue, a first-year student at Peru State.

County Attorney Louie Ligouri, however, charged Keadle with three counts of first-degree sexual assault, one count of false imprisonment and one count of terroristic threats related to an Oct. 31 incident involving a woman identified as “K.J.”

Nemaha County Judge Curtis Maschman set bail at $750,000 on those charges.
Ligouri had argued for high bail because of the serious nature of the charges. He noted that Keadle is a South Carolina resident and doesn't have family members in southeast Nebraska. Keadle also has no job and has been suspended from Peru State.

Keadle's attorney, Diane Merwin, argued for lower bail, saying her client had a place to stay in Lincoln and had no intention of leaving the state.

Keadle wants to “clean up this situation and complete his last two semesters of college in Nebraska,” Merwin said.

Charges hadn't been filed yet in connection with the Thomas disappearance, but bail was set Tuesday at $200,000, bringing Keadle's total bail to $950,000.

Keadle was arrested Dec. 8 on suspicion of both tampering with evidence, a felony, and making false reports to investigators, a misdemeanor.

Court documents say Keadle initially told police he had no contact with Thomas after seeing her walking along the street about 1:30 a.m. The documents say he later reported that he had taken her in his car outside of town, where he had sexual contact with her, and that she had accused him of rape.

A campus security camera showed Thomas, 19, walking across campus toward her residence hall about 1:30 a.m., alone and without a coat. Friends said she had been upset and crying and was drinking and acted intoxicated at a party a few blocks off campus.

About a dozen members of Thomas' family attended Tuesday's hearing but did not talk to reporters afterward.

Keadle didn't respond to reporters' questions after the hearing.

His next court appearance was set for Jan. 7.

Contact the writer:

402-473-9581, leslie.reed@owh.com


Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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http://www.thestate.com/2011/01/02/1629087...sea-man-in.html

News - Crime & Courts
Monday, Jan. 03, 2011
Hearing set for Swansea man in Neb. missing-person case

OMAHA, Neb. — A South Carolina man suspected in the disappearance of a missing Nebraska college student will be back in court this week.

Joshua Keadle, 29, originally of Swansea, faces charges of first-degree sexual assault, false imprisonment and making terroristic threats in the alleged rape of a Peru State College student on Halloween. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday in Nemaha County Court in Auburn.

The charges were filed after Keadle’s arrest last month in the disappearance of Tyler “Ty” Thomas, another Peru State student. The freshman from Bellevue was last seen leaving an off-campus party on Dec. 3.

Court documents show Keadle, who has been suspended from Peru State, is suspected of providing false information and tampering with evidence in the investigation of Thomas’ disappearance, but no formal charges have been filed. The sheriff’s office has called him a person of interest in the case. Keadle was being held Sunday in the Nemaha County jail on $950,000 bail.
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Tampering charges against Keadle await evidence in the disappearance of Tyler Thomas.Zoom Photos. dan swanson.Joshua Keadle, a former Peru State College student charged with sexual assault on Halloween, is led from a Nemaha County courtroom.


Nebraska City, Neb. — Nemaha County Attorney Louie Ligouri said Wednesday he may wait for more evidence before filing criminal charges against Joshua Keadle involving the Dec. 3 disappearance of Tyler Thomas from the Peru State College campus.

Authorities arrested Keadle on Dec. 9 on allegations that he tampered with evidence and lied to investigators, but no formal charges had been filed by Jan. 5.

Keadle, 29, is being held on a $750,000 bond in a separate case that alleges the Oct. 31 sexual assault of a Peru State College student.

Ligouri said if he pursues charges against Keadle regarding the Thomas disappearance he intends to file the felony count of tampering with evidence in county court.

If the case is bound over to district court for trial, he said he would consider adding the misdemeanor charges of false reporting to the information.
Ligouri said he has not ruled out filing the tampering charge on Friday, when Keadle is scheduled for preliminary hearing on the sexual assault charge, but said he may wait until there is more evidence.

Keadle is also scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 18 for entry of a plea regarding criminal mischief at the college campus on Nov. 29.

Keadle, who is described as 6’2” and 300 pounds, is accused of damaging a door lock at a residence hall.


Copyright 2011 Nebraska City News-Press. Some rights reserved
http://www.ncnewspress.com/features/x22424...of-Tyler-Thomas
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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http://www.journaldemocrat.com/topstories/...the-waters-edge

Investigators of missing Peru State College student Tyler Thomas' disappearance say "drag marks" link Joshua Keadle's SUV to the water's edge.Zoom Photos. ncnewspress.com/dan swanson.Missouri Water Patrol searches the Missouri River

Nebraska City, Neb. — Investigators say “drag marks” link tire tracks left by an SUV that carried Joshua Keadle, 29, and missing Peru State College student Tyler Thomas to the water’s edge of the Missouri River.

The allegations are included in five search warrants unsealed Wednesday by a Nemaha County district court.

To secure a warrant to search Keadle’s 1996 Ford Explorer, investigator Kris Baker told the court that Keadle admitted to taking Thomas to the Peru Boat Dock and leaving her there after an argument.

Baker said he observed tire marks matching the SUV on a driveable pathway that runs along a wooded area north of the established road.
He said investigators “observed visible drag marks leading from the rear end of the above described tire marks to the edge of, down the bank and entering the water of the Missouri River.”

The path is a near a cliff that drops sharply a few feet to the river bank. The steep bank extends a few more feet to the water’s edge.
Keadle was identified as one of the last people to see Thomas on the night she disappeared on Dec. 3 and appeared on a television news broadcast.

Investigators say the re-interviewed Keadle because students told them that Thomas and Keadle had gone on a date. They said Thomas expressed her distaste for Keadle after the date and immediately distanced herself from him.

Keadle was interviewed Dec. 4, Dec. 5, Dec. 6 and Dec. 7. On Dec. 7 a portion of the interview took place at the Peru Boat Dock.

As the result of the interview, an intensive search was conducted of a square mile around the boat ramp and the water from Dec. 7 through Dec. 14.

Tyler Thomas remains missing, however.

The affidavits say Keadle admitted to driving Thomas to the boat dock. He said she offered to perform a sexual act if he would take her to Omaha.

The documents say Keadle said he changed his mind after she performed the sex act, so a physical altercation took place. Keadle told investigators his arm was injured and Thomas may have sustained an injury to her wrists.

Keadle told investigators that he left Thomas at the boat dock, returned to his dorm room and took a shower. During the Dec. 7 interview with the Nebraska State Patrol and Federal Bureau of Investigation, Keadle reportedly said he took the shower to wash away any physical DNA.

He told authorities that Thomas threatened to tell everyone he had raped her.

Investigators also seized clothes Keadle identified as those he wore that night. They included a hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, brown shoes and black thermal-style shirt.

Deputy Sheriff Harold Silvey reported that he spoke with an acquaintance of Keadle. He said the man told him that Keadle asked him to hold a firearm for him, but there are no mentions of a firearm in the evidence seized due to the search warrants.

Also seized from the SUV or Keadle’s dorm room at Davison Hall are numerous tools, zip-ties, trash bag, blue foam with visible stains, swab from a stain on the passenger’s side door of the SUV and soil samples.

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http://www.ketv.com/news/27743434/detail.html

PERU, Neb. -- It's been five months since a Peru State College student from Bellevue vanished without a trace. Her friends, however, refuse to give up.

Ty Thomas disappeared in December, and intensive searches have turned up nothing.

Neville Paul made a pact with Thomas years ago.

"We made an agreement to always be there for each other," Paul said.

On Sunday, Paul and other friends of Thomas made good on that promise and distributed posters on the college campus in an effort to keep their missing friend on the minds of the students.

"We pray for her. We pray for her family," said Shannon Ennis. "We want to get the story out there more."

With the warmer weather, investigators said they will be back searching the banks of the Missouri River, but recent flooding will make the task more difficult.

Ennis visited the landing where much of the search effort in the river was focused. It was her first time there.

"I've never been here, of course, and it's hard to talk with her family and be close with them. It's hard," she said.

Thomas' friends have set up a Facebook page for her. Her family checks the message regularly. There is also information about how to buy T-shirts remembering Thomas. All the proceeds from the shirt sales will go to her family.

Read more: http://www.ketv.com/news/27743434/detail.html#ixzz1LFOkUjpd
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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monkalup
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NORFOLK, Neb. — Prosecutors say it's not likely that a man suspected in the disappearance of a Peru State freshman will be linked to a 2009 death in northeast Nebraska.

Joshua Keadle (KEE'-duhl), from Swansea (SWAHN'-see) S.C., is facing criminal charges in Nemaha and Dodge counties.

Pierce County Attorney Verlyn Leubbe said Tuesday that investigators looked into whether Keadle could be linked to the death of 19-year-old Lacey Anderson, but Keadle's name hasn't come up in several months.

Anderson's body was found in Pierce County by hunters. She was from Madison County.

In Nemaha County, Keadle has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault in the Halloween rape of a fellow Peru State student. The charges were filed after his arrest in the disappearance of Tyler "Ty" Thomas, who was last seen Dec. 3.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/8cb1...tudent-Norfolk/
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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Keadle's Family Speaking Out About Missing Ty Thomas

12/20/10

Omaha, NE- A family is facing Christmas without their daughter Ty Thomas who has been missing for more than two weeks. Joshua Keadle is the only "Person of Interest" in the Peru State student's case. Monday we hear from his family as they try to understand what he's accused of doing.

Joshua Keadle's family says they're shocked and they hope he's not responsible. In a statement the family says,

'First and foremost we are deeply saddened and concerned for the family of Tyler Thomas. We are also concerned for the possible victims that have and may still come forward. We are just as baffled and confused as anyone about these revelations. We have had little contact with Joshua since march 2008 when is mother passed away unexpectedly. To our knowledge he was in Nebraska attending college. We are still trying to grasp what makes someone resort to these actions. We know Joshua was not raised in an environment to promote this type of behavior. We are concerned for all parties involved, may GOD be with us all!'
Sincerely, Dennis Herlong

Heartbroken for Ty Thomas' loved ones the family of Joshua Keadle breaks their silence. In a phone call Dennis Herlong says they family is, "Deeply saddened and just pray to God that Joshua did nothing to cause her harm."

Dennis Herlong is Keadle's Uncle. We speak about the long list of charges Keadle faces. "I can't apologize for his actions you know. If he's done anything it's him but we are deeply saddened and we hate it," said Herlong.

Keadle is charged for tampering with evidence and false reporting in the disappearance of Thomas. While investigators search for clues and the missing student along the Missouri River, Herlong reads local news stories - also searching for answers. "It's a shock to us just as much as everybody out there I'm sure," said Herlong.

In a separate case, Keadle faces public indecency charges in Madison County. There investigators say he exposed himself to a woman and propositioned her for sex.

Nemaha County court documents later name Keadle as the suspect responsible for raping a different student by the name of "KJ". Herlong tells KMTV Action 3 News they discuss all of the pending charges. Herlong says Keadle defends himself, "He's telling me that he'd dumb founded. He doesn't know why these girls are saying this."

Herlong tells KMTV Keadle's mother died three years ago. He describes Keadle as an average person and to his knowledge Joshua was never in trouble. For the uncle who's still dealing with the loss of his sister he's now disheartened with the thought of losing his nephew as well. "If the evidence proves that he's done what he's done then he deserves whatever the state of Nebraska does for him. I mean that's my personal opinion. I'm just going to wait and see what happens see where this goes and let our judicial system do what it does," said Herlong.

Keadle will be in court again in January.

http://www.action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=13717782
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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Keadle Appears In Court; New Information, Records Unsealed

Nemaha County, NE - The person of interest in the disappearance of a Nebraska college student appears before a judge this morning. Joshua Keadle is also accused of sexually assaulting another young woman. A month ago, 19-year-old Tyler Thomas vanished. She attended Peru State College.

In handcuffs, leaving court, Joshua Keadle refused to answer KMTV Action 3 News' questions.

KMTV Action 3 News reporter Hannah Pickett asked, "Mr. Keadle, what do you have to say about the evidence presented in court today? Do you have any comment to the family of Ty Thomas?"

His response: silence.

Evidence presented this morning against Keadle in a separate case, involving an 18-year old woman referred to as "KJ" sounds eerily familiar to the case of missing Peru State College student Ty Thomas.

"You could tell that there were similarities, parallels between the two," Nemaha County Attorney, Louie Ligouri, said.

"KJ" doesn't go to Peru State. She was visiting her friend, Sam, there in October.

The two went to a party where they met Keadle. KJ says her friend left with someone else and Keadle offered to drive KJ back to her friend's dorm.

Instead, court records claim he took her two miles outside of town, to the Peru boat dock where he forced her to perform sex acts, saying she had no choice because he had a gun and if she refused, he would "push her in the river and nobody would know what happened to her."

KJ says she eventually gave in because she feared for her life. She says Keadle then took her back to her friend's empty dorm room where he raped her twice.

Ty Thomas' family was visibly upset leaving court today as Keadle is the person of interest in her disappearance.

In that case, investigators say Keadle admitted to taking Thomas to the same location, where he claims she performed a sex act in exchange for a ride to Omaha.

Keadle says he "changed his mind" about the ride after the sex act and left Thomas at the dock, while he went back to his dorm to wash off any DNA.

Evidence at the scene shows tire tracks matching Keadle's car leading to the banks of the Missouri River.

That night was the last time Thomas was seen.

Unsealed court records also show investigators gathered evidence from Keadle's dorm room. Some of that evidence: a stained pillow, letter from Peru State College, his clothing the night of Thomas' disappearance, and his Blackberry and memory card.

He'll be back in court in two weeks.
FEATURED VIDEO


* Keadle Appears In Court; New Information, Records Unsealed

http://www.action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=13805583
__________________
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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Search to resume for Peru student

By Joe Duggan
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
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LINCOLN — Friends and family of Tyler Thomas are asking for the public's help Sunday to look along the Missouri River for the missing Peru State College student.

Shannon Ennis of Omaha, the search organizer, said Thursday that she got approval from the Nemaha County Sheriff's Office to conduct the foot search along the river near Peru. The area had been off-limits to ground and boat searches because of summer flooding, but the water has receded.

Ennis, who said she was a friend of the family, wants to do something to help learn the whereabouts of Thomas, last seen Dec. 3 after attending an off-campus party. A man authorities questioned in her disappearance said he left her alive near the river after an argument.

At the time, Thomas was a 19-year-old freshman.

“The search pretty well stopped a while ago, so (this is) just to bring it back and say we're not forgetting her, we're doing what we can,” said Ennis, 23.

Volunteers are being asked to meet at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the main parking lot across from the A.V. Larson Building at the Peru State campus. The search will likely continue until dusk.

For more information, volunteers can send an email to Ennis at PrayForTyler@gmail.com.

The foot searchers might be joined by members of the U.S. ATV Search and Rescue Team, an Omaha-based association of trained volunteers. D.J. Ginsberg, the team's director, said Thursday he was trying to line up a boat to assist with the search.

He warned untrained volunteers to be cautious. In other recent river searches, ATV team members have encountered sink holes and highly unstable river banks that easily crumble into the river. Flooding also has left behind a huge amount of debris.

“Where they are going is just dangerous,” Ginsberg said, recommending that searchers stay in groups and carry rope as a precaution.

Although the college is not formally involved in the search, Thomas remains in the thoughts and hearts of students, faculty and staff, said Regan Anson, the college's director of marketing and communications. On Thomas' 20th birthday last month, students tied cards for her to a large evergreen tree near the center of campus.

“We think of her and her family all the time, every day,” Anson said. “We remain hopeful that she will be found.”

Several days after Thomas disappeared, authorities arrested Peru State student Joshua Keadle as a suspect. According to court documents, Keadle told investigators that he picked up Thomas as she was walking alone back to her dorm and drove her to a public boat ramp on the river, where they had sex. He said he left her after she threatened to accuse him of rape.

At the time, authorities conducted extensive searches for Thomas, both in and along the river near the boat ramp.

Keadle, 30, has not been charged with Thomas' disappearance, but he remains in custody on felony sexual assault charges involving other women from Omaha and Fremont, Neb.

Contact the writer:
402-473-9587, joe.duggan@owh.com
http://www.omaha.com/article/20111013/NEWS01/710139815/1003
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/e808...ollege-Student/

AUBURN, Neb. — Family and friends of missing 19-year-old Peru State College student Ty Thomas are renewing their efforts to find her body.

Thomas, of Bellevue, was last seen in early December. Investigators had focused their efforts on a stretch of the Missouri River near a Peru boat dock, but flooding this summer suspended the search.

Authorities suspect Joshua Keadle, a former Peru State student originally from Swansea, S.C., in Thomas' disappearance. Police have accused him of providing false information and tampering with evidence in the case, but no charges have been filed against him in Thomas case. Keadle has been charged in two separate sexual assaults in Nebraska.

Omaha television station KETV (http://bit.ly/pOyahy ) reports that Thomas' family and friends will renew the search for Thomas this weekend.

___

Information from: KETV-TV, http://www.ketv.com
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


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Ty Thomas Still Missing Four Years Later
Updated: Mon 10:18 PM, Dec 01, 2014



By: Roger Hamer, Malorie Maddox

It was four years ago this week when Tyler Thomas was reported missing. The Peru State College student was last seen December 3rd in 2010. Her killer was never convicted. Her body, never found.

It was four years ago this week when Tyler Thomas was reported missing.

The Peru State College student was last seen December 3rd in 2010.

Her killer was never convicted. Her body, never found.

But now comes a push for change to assure that the circumstances surrounding her disappearance will never happen again.

Nineteen-year-old Tyler Thomas is still out there...somewhere.

Her cousin, Kenetta Thomas-Ward and other relatives searched in vain for her body.

"Not knowing anything or not being told anything is the hardest part," she said.

Then 29-years-old, Joshua Keadle was allegedly the last person to see Tyler Thomas alive that December night. He said he left her at a boat dock after consensual sex and an argument.

Then also a Peru State student, Keadle, was never convicted of killing Thomas.

Thomas-Ward believes her cousin's death could have been avoided.

"This is a man, a grown man who could easily live in an apartment or house and drive to the school and then go back home," she said. "I don't think he should have been living on campus with 16 or 17 or 18 year old boys or girls.

That's the basis of a federal and state lawsuit filed by Lincoln Attorney Vince Powers.

Powers believes Peru State failed to provide a harassment free and safe environment for Thomas and other students.

"We have a 29-year-old living on a dorm floor with teenaged girls," he said. "You drive away from college and you think she's in a safe place and she was in one of the most dangerous places in America."

Powers based his case against the school under Title IX, where a school receiving federal funds must provide a harassment free environment. Powers argues the school was negligent by placing Keadle in a co-ed dorm.

"This should never have happened," Powers said.

"Whether they knew or not or when they found out about his background, they should have took the proper precautions," Thomas-Ward said.

A judge ordered issuing a death certificate for Ty Thomas. Powers called that a major move forward.

The case will go to court.

"I pray that there is always some type of justice," Thomas-Ward said. She hopes that someday her family and cousin find peace.

"We should never have to say goodbye to a family member too soon like that," she said.

Keadle is serving a 15-to-20 year sentence at the Lincoln Correctional Center.

He was convicted two years ago in an unrelated case of first degree sexual assault. The victim was a 15-year old girl who Keadle attacked in 2009.

Tyler Thomas' cousin says Ty's family will never stop looking for her and her killer.
http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Ty-Thom...-284416711.html
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Joshua Keadle makes first court appearance in slaying of Peru State student Tyler Thomas, facing the stares of her relatives
By Joe Duggan / World-Herald Bureau Oct 27, 2017
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Joshua Keadle first appearance
Joshua Keadle, right, watches defense attorney Jeff Pickens as Keadle makes his first appearance in Nemaha County Court in Auburn, Nebraska, on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017, on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Tyler Thomas.

GWYNETH ROBERTS/LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
Joshua Keadle first appearance
Relatives of Tyler Thomas console each other after Joshua Keadle, 36, made his first appearance in Nemaha County Court in Auburn, Nebraska, on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017, on a first-degree murder charge in Thomas' death.

GWYNETH ROBERTS/LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
Joshua Keadle first appearance
Nemaha County sheriff's deputies escort Joshua Keadle to his first appearance in Nemaha County Court in Auburn, Nebraska.

GWYNETH ROBERTS/LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
Joshua Keadle first appearance
Joshua Keadle answers a question from the judge during his first appearance in Nemaha County Court in Auburn, Nebraska, on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017.

GWYNETH ROBERTS/LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
Joshua Keadle first appearance
Attorneys Jeff Pickens, left, and Keith Kollasch listen to the judge as Joshua Keadle makes his first appearance in Nemaha County Court in Auburn, Nebraska.

GWYNETH ROBERTS/LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
Joshua Keadle first appearance
Judge Curtis Maschman presides as Joshua Keadle, 36, makes his first appearance in Nemaha County Court in Auburn, Nebraska, on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017, on a first-degree murder charge in Tyler Thomas' death.

GWYNETH ROBERTS/LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
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AUBURN, Neb. — The eyes told the story in an otherwise silent courtroom.

The prison inmate cast his gaze downward as he walked in Thursday, charged with first-degree murder in the death of Tyler Thomas, a 19-year-old student who disappeared from Peru State College in 2010.

Joshua Keadle walked past nine relatives of Thomas, including a mother and father from Omaha who have waited seven years for justice in their daughter’s death.

Their stares smoldered.

The defendant’s initial appearance ended within minutes. The judge explained that the type of murder charge filed against Keadle carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, not execution. Because Keadle is serving a sentence at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln for an unrelated sexual assault, the judge set no bail.

As he stood and shuffled past the assembled relatives on his way out, many of their stares were now awash in tears. Hope Semans of Omaha, an aunt of Thomas, could hold back no longer.

“You can’t even look at the family, coward!” she said. “You’re a coward.”

Although Keadle was not asked to enter a plea to the charge Thursday, he has said he left the woman alive on a frigid December morning near a public boat launch on the Missouri River.

“He has always maintained his innocence and denied committing any offense against Tyler Thomas,” said Jeff Pickens, director of the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy, one of two lawyers appointed to defend Keadle.

The defense attorney also addressed a question on many minds: Why have prosecutors charged Keadle now, seven years after they identified him as the last person to see Thomas alive?

“I haven’t seen any new evidence,” Pickens said.

The Attorney General’s Office, which is prosecuting Keadle, declined to comment about what prompted the filing of the charges now.

Thomas was captured on college security cameras about 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 3, 2010, walking toward her dorm after attending an off-campus party.

According to court documents, Keadle told authorities he offered to give her a ride to Omaha in exchange for a sex act. After the sexual favor, Keadle said, he changed his mind about driving to Omaha and left her near the boat dock when she became angry.

While the investigation was ongoing, news reports about Thomas’ disappearance prompted a Fremont woman to come forward with rape accusations against Keadle. A jury later convicted him of sexually assaulting the woman when she was a 15-year-old girl and he was a 27-year-old student at Midland University.

Considering that Keadle was being held in prison on another felony, perhaps authorities waited to file the murder charge to buy time to find the victim’s remains. In 2010, investigators and volunteers conducted extensive but unsuccessful searches for Thomas in the river and along the wooded banks near the boat ramp.

But time is running out. Now 36, Keadle becomes parole eligible next year and is scheduled for mandatory release in 2021.

Last year, a six-member jury returned a $2.6 billion verdict against Keadle in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Thomas’ parents. Although Keadle has no way to pay, the verdict was meaningful to the family.

After Thursday’s hearing, Hope Semans spoke about how her niece was loved by many.

“She had the biggest heart, the biggest spirit,” she said.

It’s the family’s hope that Keadle will soon tell them where they can find her, Semans said.

“Tell us where she is,” she said. “I don’t care about anything else.”
http://www.omaha.com/news/crime/joshua-kea...7f4a709ea7.html
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