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Nebraska Cold Cases

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Nebraska Murders

You may access historical and current statistics and data on the number of murders in Nebraska by year on the websites of many law enforcement and investigating organizations, including local, state, and even federal. For example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation prepares and releases an annual Uniform Crime Report, which provides statistics surrounding the types of crimes committed in most cities and counties in every states, their crime rates, and relative crime locations. Furthermore, Project: Cold Case, a nonprofit group, has gathered and released a public database which includes nearly 25,000 unsolved homicides in the United States. In addition to their rapidly updating database, Project: Cold Case has created a detailed webpage dedicated to the number of unsolved homicides and the homicide clearance rates for each state from 1980-2019. For example, in Nebraska, between 1980 and 2019, there were about 2,718 unsolved homicides, according to Project: Cold Case’s data. Over the years, roughly 2,212 of those homicides have been solved or seen resolution, currently leaving approximately 506 unsolved murders in Nebraska as of the website’s latest update.

Unfortunately, there is no single database or list of Nebraska’s many unsolved homicides, and many local law enforcement agencies fall into the same category. Due to this, finding Nebraska cold cases to research can quickly become a daunting task, especially when trying to find information on unsolved murders in specific areas of the state. A few of the unsolved murders in northern Nebraska which can be found within various websites and news articles include: the 1990 murder of Letha Harley, the 1975 murder of Merlin Mosel, the 2009 murder of Lacey Anderson, and the 2016 murder of Sherry Wounded Foot, among many others in the northern portion of Nebraska. Other examples of cases which can be found within these lists include the many unsolved central Nebraska murders. Some examples of these include the following: the 1987 murder of Christi Nichols, the 1984 murder of Ernestine Ruschy, the 2005 murder of Jason Remsen, the 1997 murder of Jay Blockson, and the 1999 murder of Jeanne Kassebaum, as well as the 2019 disappearance of Chance Leslie Englebert, which remains unsolved to this day.

In addition to those already mentioned, a few of the unsolved murders in Lincoln, Nebraska, can also be found in the limited lists or within databases including the 2004 murder of Carl Bittner Jr., the 1974 murder of Patricia Webb, and the 2002 murder of Eugene McGuire, among others. Lastly, some examples of some currently unsolved murders in Lancaster County, Nebraska, are also included within many of the same databases, or lists. These include the 1998 murder of Roxanne Myers, the 2003 murder of Jonathan Luna, the 2012 murder of Erma Kaylor, and the 1995 murder of Juanita Chevalier, among others.

Unsolved Nebraska Murders

According to the most updated data on Project: Cold Case’s unsolved homicide statistics website, there are currently approximately 506 Nebraska cold cases, specifically unsolved murders. Due to recent advancements in DNA technology as well as changes in law enforcement procedures, this number seems to be slightly lower than the average, but it could be due to Nebraska’s relatively lower population. Several unsolved Nebraska murders can be found organized by both local and county law enforcement agencies on their websites, in local news articles, and within Project: Cold Case’s unsolved murders database, which contains basic information of nearly 25,000 cold cases.

A few of the many northern Nebraska unsolved murders that are listed on various law enforcement websites include the 1990 murder of Letha Harley, the 1975 murder of Merlin Mosel, the 2009 murder of Lacey Anderson, and the 2016 murder of Sherry Wounded Foot, among others. Also among the lists are unsolved murders Lincoln, Nebraska, which include the 2004 murder of Carl Bittner Jr., the 1974 murder of Patricia Webb, and the 2002 murder of Eugene McGuire, among others. In addition to those previously mentioned, other unsolved murders Nebraska included in the lists of cold cases are the many east Nebraska unsolved murders. These include the 1976 murder of Jay Durnil, the 1969 murder of Mary Heese, the 2004 murder of Gregory Moore, the 1984 murder of Arthur Morley, and the 2007 murder of Joy Blanchard, among many others.


Joseph Smedley
Joseph SmedleySuspicious Death, 2015
Asha Degree
Asha DegreeMissing, 2000

Consider this

More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime community—together we can do better.

Famous Nebraska Murders

The various names that can be easily found within the various lists of murders in Nebraska that have not yet been resolved can be found on numerous law enforcement websites, and some of them may sound familiar. Over time, some of the names on the several lists of all murders in Nebraska, notorious Nebraska criminals, and other lists of Nebraska murders have seemingly become easily recognizable.

A few of the most well-known or infamous Nebraska murders and disappearances which remain unsolved to this day include: the 1997 murder of Leah Rowlands, the 2008 murder of Kelcey Fike, the 1995 murder of Julie Derrick, and the 2016 murder of Sherry Wounded Foot, as well as the 2019 disappearance of Chance Leslie Englebert and the 1987 disappearance of Christi Nichols.


Homicide Rate in Nebraska

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2019 Uniform Crime Report, the violent crime rate in Nebraska at the time was around 300.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. In summary, approximately 300 people per 100,000 inhabitants of Nebraska had been directly affected by violent crime in 2019 alone. To explain, the FBI defines violent crime as including sexual assault and rape, homicide, burglary, and physical assault. According to the same Uniform Crime Report, the homicide rate in Nebraska was approximately 2.3 per 100,000 residents in 2019. In summary, around 2 persons per 100,000 Nebraska inhabitants were killed in 2019.

Lincoln, Nebraska’s capital, has a population of over 293,000 inhabitants. In 2018, the violent crime rate in Lincoln, Nebraska, was around 362.11 per 100,000 people, while the murder rate in Lincoln, Nebraska, was about 2.08 per 100,000 persons. Although there is no conclusive technique to predict how many murders in Nebraska 2021 as well as how many murders Lincoln, Nebraska, 2021, we could go through historical crime records to create an educated guess based on statistics and crime trends throughout time. Based on archived FBI Uniform Crime Reports, it seems that the homicide rate and number of murders that occur each year in both Lincoln and Nebraska as a whole seem to be slowly increasing each year, despite remaining fairly stable over longer periods of time.


Lancaster County Murders

According to the latest census, Lancaster County, Nebraska, now has a population of more than 324,000 inhabitants. In order to see the current crime trends, the Nebraska Crime Commission offers a public “Offense Data Query” where visitors can research the types of crimes and number of crimes that occur in Nebraska each year. According to the Nebraska Crime Commission, two criminal homicides had occurred in Lancaster County in 2015, 10 occurred in 2016, zero occurred in 2017, and six further criminal homicides occurred in 2018. Based on the little information available, the number of homicides in Lancaster County, Nebraska, appears to have remained consistent in recent years, despite slight fluctuations.

In most Lancaster County murders cases, police are able to collect enough Lancaster County murders evidence to arrest and bring their primary suspect to Lancaster County murders trial. The kinds of evidence commonly offered in Lancaster County homicide cases are determined largely by the features and characteristics of the crime itself. For example, evidence might include blood or other DNA evidence, fingerprints, and most frequently, Lancaster County murders crime scene photos, which exhibit to the jury the overall conditions of the environment that surrounds the crime scene, the general locations of any significant items of evidence, and any other factors that would have an influence.


Lincoln, Nebraska Murders

Lincoln, Nebraska, homicides appear to be significantly more common than those which occur in several other rural cities in Nebraska, seemingly due to Lincoln’s higher population. The number of unsolved cold case homicides in Lincoln, Nebraska, has decreased substantially in recent years, presumably due to advancements in DNA technology as well as changes in law enforcement and investigations protocols, however, police continue to investigate the several cold cases which currently remain unresolved. As one may expect, there are several Lincoln murders discussions on numerous prominent social media platforms, most notably Facebook, Websleuths, and Reddit. Users on these social networking websites frequently conduct discussions centered on speculating several details of the cases, discussing the details of the cases, and many other thoughts regarding Lincoln murders pictures, Lincoln murders crime scene photos, and Lincoln, Nebraska, murders autopsy photos, among other topics.


Nebraska Serial Killers

Despite its seemingly high population, Nebraska has had to deal with very few serial killers, however, there have been a remarkable number of Nebraska killers throughout its lengthy history. Any form of serial killer list, such as a Nebraska serial killer list or list of serial killers in Nebraska, can help you learn more about some of the most well-known or otherwise famous Nebraska serial killers. Some of the most infamous or notorious Nebraska serial killers can be found easily on several of these lists, including John Joseph Joubert IV, also known as the “Woodford Slasher,” who murdered three young boys in Maine and Nebraska; and Charles Starkweather, who is technically labeled as a “spree killer,” who murdered 11 people in Nebraska in 1958.


Crimes in Nebraska

If you are interested in learning more about the many sorts of crimes that occur in Nebraska, as well as their statistical frequency, a variety of law enforcement and investigative organizations provide annual accounts on their websites outlining the numerous types of crimes in Nebraska, in addition to including archived reports. For example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation releases an annual Uniform Crime Report that includes crime data and statistics, such as crime rates, for most cities and counties in each and every state in the US, including a detailed report on crime in Nebraska.

Tragically, it seems that the number of Nebraska homicide and true crime stories in Nebraska will never be completely erased. According to Project: Cold Case’s unsolved homicide statistics webpage, there were about 2,718 killings in Nebraska alone between 1980 and 2019. According to the most current website update, approximately 2,212 of those homicides have been solved, yet leaving roughly 506 unsolved murders in Nebraska alone. Nonetheless, regardless of how long it takes, or how many resources need to be put to use, Nebraska’s state and local law enforcement and investigation organizations will work diligently to solve all of Nebraska’s true crimes.

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Additional Nebraska Cold Cases