The remains of a missing Nebraska mom have been found nearly 18 months after she vanished, with a suspect in her homicide already in custody on unrelated charges, according to authorities.
Jerica Hamre, 30, was reported missing in July 3 last year when she failed to pick up her two daughters, now age 9 and 10, from her parents in Lincoln.
Police quickly declared that she was missing under “suspicious circumstances,” and carried out a massive, “unwavering” search “over 1,000 square miles of timber, lakes, rivers, and farmland,” Lincoln police Captain Ben Miller said at a press conference.
However, her body was finally found by accident when someone preparing a farm for sale found a body in one of its sheds in Furnas County, near Oxford, nearly a 3-hour drive southwest of Lincoln. The remains have since been confirmed to be the missing mom.
“Our hearts break for Jerica’s family and friends, who for the past 18 months have been searching for answers,” Miller said, confirming it is being investigated as a homicide.
The body “had been there for quite some time,” the police captain said, while stressing that the owners of the farm are not tied to Hamre or suspects in the case.
“We do have a person of interest in custody on unrelated charges,” Miller said, stressing that there was no further threat to the community.
He did not identify the suspect nor give details on what they were currently in custody for, beyond repeating that the other charges are “totally unrelated to this case.” He also did not elaborate on how they became a suspect nor a motive or cause of death.
“It’s not the outcome any of us wanted — our hearts are broken for her family and loved ones,” the department said on Facebook.
