The morning of December 27, 1986, dawned crisp and clear in Thurston County, Nebraska.

A local farmer was hauling hay along County Road G, an unmaintained dirt road that cuts through

the Ho-Chunk Reservation about 20 miles north of Lyons. As his truck bounced over the rough

terrain, something caught his eye in the high grass beside

the road. At first, he thought it might be debris blown by the winter wind, but as he got

closer, his blood ran cold. What he saw sticking out of the brown grass wasn't debris at all.

It was a human arm. Today we're diving into a case that shattered the quiet of a small Nebraska town

and exposed the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface of a community where everyone thought

they knew everyone else.

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Lions Nebraska in 1986 was the kind of place where people didn't lock their doors.

With a population of just 1,200, it was a farming community where neighbors helped neighbors.

And the biggest excitement was usually the high school football game on Friday nights.

In fact, the town had only recorded one murder in its entire history.

Located 60 miles from Omaha, Lyons was so quiet that Burt County didn't even have a jail.

Crime was such a rarity that when something serious happened, investigators had to come from

...