http://www.ketv.com/...149/detail.html

O'Grady Search To Concentrate On Elkhorn River

POSTED: 11:05 am CDT May 26, 2006  UPDATED: 11:17 am CDT May 26, 2006

OMAHA, Neb. -- A search team will concentrate its efforts Friday in the search for a missing woman.

KETV NewsWatch 7 has learned that searchers will look for Jessica O'Grady, 19, on the Elkhorn River near Maple Street.

O'Grady, a University of Nebraska-Omaha student, was last seen on May 10.

The U.S. ATV Search and Rescue Team will be involved in Friday's search, working alongside Douglas County sheriff's deputies. The search is set to begin at 1 p.m.

While the sheriff's office said it has identified a suspect, it declined to name that person on Wednesday.

http://www.omaha.com...6&u_sid=2178233

Sheriff confident as O'Grady case unfolds

Published Friday  May 26, 2006 BY JUDITH NYGREN WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Investigators have a strong enough case to make an arrest now in the disappearance of Jessica O'Grady, Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning says.

But until all the evidence is analyzed, he said, investigators will hold off on arresting O'Grady's boyfriend, opting instead to keep him under 24-hour surveillance.

O'Grady, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, hasn't been seen since the night of May 10. She told friends that she was headed to her boyfriend's home northeast of 132nd and Blondo Streets.

Dunning has said investigators do not think they will find O'Grady alive.

But even without a body, Dunning said, he was confident that his investigators would present a case to the Douglas County Attorney's Office.

But there is no need to rush the process, he said. An arrest would set off the speedy trial clock at a time when the Sheriff's Office still is waiting for tests results.

Under state law, suspects are entitled to a trial within six months of being charged, although they can waive that right.

Dunning declined to discuss what tests are being performed. The important thing is to finish the work, he said.

It would be helpful if the boyfriend cooperated by directing investigators to O'Grady or offering a statement about her disappearance, Dunning said. But that hasn't happened and, he said, "We're not going to rush our investigation."

"We know where he is, and we're always going to know where he is," he said.

http://www.unogatewa..../4477acaed593c

Missing sophomore prompts questions of university safety, involvement

Taylor Muller  May 27, 2006

With UNO sophomore Jessica O'Grady missing for 16 days, questions about students' safety and the university's involvement have begun to arise.

O'Grady was last heard from on her way to 120th and Blondo streets, according to flyers that have been circulated around the city as well as UNO’s campus.

While many businesses in the community have assisted the search efforts in numerous ways, UNO has remained quiet in terms of support or offering assistance.

Tim Kaldahl, UNO's assistant director of media relations, said in an interview Thursday that he had only been contacted once by local news teams and that they were only verifying that O'Grady was enrolled at UNO.

Friends and family of Jessica started distributing this flyer soon after receiving word of her disappearance.

The flyers have also been circulated around campus, according to Kaldahl. Student Organizations was unable to verify that flyers had been approved for posting on campus.

Sophomore Brandon Bone, who lives in University Village, has not seen any of the flyers near the north campus dorms.

"Lets see, we've got American Idol posters and [University Village] Internet posters, and that's about it," Bone said. "I haven't seen a single poster on campus."

Chris Liewer, the Matadors' assistant director of recruitment, has not encountered any concerned students or parents when giving tours on campus, but feels that there are always safety concerns in a larger city.

"There are some students who come from smaller towns, so that does make parents worry," Liewer said. "So I think that we have to put it across that we're in a larger city and it's an issue that you need to take precaution, be more careful. If you're living on campus, use campus security- just make sure you're aware that things can happen."

No suspects have been announced, or arrests made, in what has now become a criminal investigation, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's office.

"There really isn't much we can do, in that she was not living on campus and the incident occurred after class," said Rita Henry, assistant vice-chancellor of student affairs. "Usually families are in close contact, but, in this case, the university doesn't really have anything to provide."

http://www.omaha.com...6&u_sid=2178630

Volunteers search river for woman

Published Saturday  May 27, 2006  BY KATHRYN FIEGEN  WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

More than 20 volunteers used two canoes, two airboats and three all-terrain vehicles to search Friday for a missing Omaha woman.

Rachelle O'Grady of Mead waits Friday for the Waterloo Firefighter and Rescue squad to return from the searching Elkhorn River for her daughter Jessica O'Grady.

But they didn't find her.

Waterloo's volunteer fire and rescue squad, acting at the request of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, searched along - and in - the Elkhorn River for Jessica O'Grady, 19, a University of Nebraska at Omaha student who has been missing since May 10.

Douglas County sheriff's investigators twice have searched the home of O'Grady's boyfriend, northeast of 132nd and Blondo Streets. Inside, they said, they have found evidence of a crime and a major cleanup. The boyfriend has not been arrested.

Friday was the first time Jessica's mother, Rachelle O'Grady, came out during a search for her daughter. Last Saturday, more than 100 volunteers searched at Wehrspann, Standing Bear and Zorinsky Lakes and along the banks of the Platte and Elkhorn Rivers. Searchers also have checked out other spots over the past few days.

"On the one hand, I don't want to be around when they find something," Rachelle O'Grady said Friday, her face worn with grief and worry. "But on the other hand, I want to be with her."

A yellow ribbon that bore Jessica's name was pinned to her shirt. The ribbon was curled from a week's worth of wear.

"I've got a really anxious feeling today," she said. "I want her home."

The group searched the Elkhorn River from U.S. Highway 36 to where the Elkhorn and Platte Rivers meet, covering approximately 12 miles. The United States ATV Search and Rescue Team assisted, sending three all-terrain vehicles along the riverbanks from West Maple Road to State Street - about four miles.

Waterloo Fire Chief Chad Witt directed the search parties from a tent set up on a boat landing along West Maple Road. A few curious drivers stopped at the landing, which is not yet open to the public, but were waved off.

O'Grady said the search teams have been doing the best they can. She said the support she has received, specifically from her town of Mead, has been "overwhelming."

"We pray," she said. "And we try to laugh once in a while."

http://www.omaha.com...6&u_sid=2178233

Sheriff confident as O'Grady case unfolds

Investigators have a strong enough case to make an arrest now in the disappearance of Jessica O'Grady, Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning said Friday. But until all the evidence is analyzed, he said, investigators will hold off on arresting O'Grady's boyfriend, opting instead to keep him under 24-hour surveillance.

http://www.ketv.com/...109/detail.html

Sheriff's Office Identifies Top Suspect In O'Grady Case
Boyfriend's Lawyer Says He'll Turn Himself In

POSTED: 5:36 pm CDT June 2, 2006  UPDATED: 5:44 pm CDT June 2, 2006

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Douglas County sheriff said on Friday that he is getting very close to making an arrest in the homicide investigation of Jessica O'Grady.

The 19-year-old student at the University of Nebraska-Omaha has been missing for three weeks, and there has been no sign of her. Douglas County Chief Deputy Sheriff Marty Bilek said O'Grady's boyfriend is the one suspect in her disappearance.

Search warrants show O'Grady was en route to visit her boyfriend, Christopher Edwards, on the night she disappeared. The current search warrant is for telephone records related to the O'Grady case. Bilek said his office wants to know whom the girl was talking to and any clues to her whereabouts before she disappeared.

After a thorough search of Edwards' home, the county is still not ready to make an arrest.


Edwards' attorney, Steve Lefler, said he wants to know what they're waiting for.

"If you were told you were going to be arrested for murder, and three and a half weeks went by, you'd say either arrest me or don't arrest me," Lefler said.

Bilek said the arrest is tough with no body.

"We have no indication this is a serial killer, where time is of the essence. We want to make sure the charges filed are strong," Bilek said.

The sheriff's office had hoped Edwards would be more cooperative in the investigation.

"I think what he means by cooperative is he wants our client to say, 'Yes, I killed the girl, and here's where the body is.' Our client did not kill the girl," Lefler said.

Without a confession, the sheriff's office is waiting for the results of other forensics tests. Of most interest is the evidence collected at the residence where Edwards lived.

"I will tell you we gathered a lot of evidence inside the house, finding it to be very useful evidence," Bilek said.

Meanwhile, Lefler said he wants the sheriff to know Edwards will turn himself in.

http://www.wowt.com/...es/2922111.html

Investigation Criticized
Lawyer calls for action or silence

An attorney representing a friend of missing college student Jessica O'Grady says he wants the sheriff to either arrest his client or stop making comments linking him to her disappearance.

Attorney Steve Lefler says his client, Chris Edwards, did not kill O'Grady.

Lefler is speaking out in response to several statements made by Sheriff Tim Dunning that Edwards has been uncooperative and that deputies are building a murder case against him.

Lefler says, "Everything the sheriff's department has asked them to do, they've done. They've made themselves available for tests, samples, interviews, et cetera; everything. So I don't know what he means by no cooperation. I think what he means is him saying `I killed the girl, here's where the body is,' but our client did not kill the girl.''

The sheriff says he's waiting for test results to come back in the O'Grady case.

Lefler says arrests are made all the time before lab results are back and he wants the sheriff to either make an arrest or stop making public statements about his client.

Miss O'Grady, a student at UNO, was last heard from on May 10. Her car was later found in a parking lot near 144th and Center.

Sheriff's deputies have twice searched a home near 130th and Cady where Edwards had been living at the time Jessica disappeared.

As for evidence seized from the home, Lefler says there is an answer but it's not one he'll provide right now.

"Once you hear it, you'll say it all makes sense to me. I have to wait. I don't want to say what people did in response to a very human situation.''

He did not elaborate on what that meant.

No charges have been filed in the case.

http://www.ketv.com/...284/detail.html

BREAKING NEWS: O'Grady's Boyfriend Will Turn Self In
Sheriff To Take Chief Suspect Into Custody

POSTED: 11:10 am CDT June 9, 2006  UPDATED: 11:38 am CDT June 9, 2006

OMAHA, Neb. -- An arrest is expected Friday in the case of a missing student.

The Douglas County sheriff on Friday will take Christopher Edwards into custody. He is the boyfriend of Jessica O'Grady, 19, who last seen on May 10. The Douglas County sheriff has called the investigation a homicide case, based on evidence found at the home where Edwards was staying when O'Grady disappeared.

On June 2, Douglas County Chief Deputy Sheriff Marty Bilek told KETV NewsWatch 7 that Edwards was the one suspect investigators were looking at related to her disappearance.

Search warrants show O'Grady was en route to visit Edwards on the night she disappeared. A search warrant asks for telephone records related to the O'Grady case. Bilek said his office wants to know whom the girl was talking to and any clues to her whereabouts before she disappeared.

Edwards' attorney, Steve Lefler, said last week that his client would turn himself Friday afternoon on criminal homicide charges.

http://www.wowt.com/...es/3009201.html

O'Grady Investigation
Boyfriend expected at sheriff's office

The boyfriend of missing UNO student Jessica O'Grady is expected to turn himself in this afternoon although it is not clear what charges he faces.

Chris Edwards lived in a home that has been searched twice in the investigation.

Miss O'Grady, a student at UNO, was last heard from on May 10. Her car was later found in a parking lot near 144th and Center.

Sheriff's deputies have twice searched a home near 130th and Cady where Edwards had been living at the time Jessica disappeared.

http://www.ketv.com/...284/detail.html

BREAKING NEWS: O'Grady's Boyfriend Turns Self In
Sheriff Takes Chief Suspect Into Custody

POSTED: 11:10 am CDT June 9, 2006  UPDATED: 1:51 pm CDT June 9, 2006

OMAHA, Neb. -- An arrest was made Friday in the case of a missing student.

The Douglas County sheriff on Friday took Christopher Edwards, 19, into custody. He is the boyfriend of Jessica O'Grady, 19, who last seen on May 10. The Douglas County sheriff has called the investigation a homicide case, based on evidence found at the home where Edwards was staying when O'Grady disappeared.

Edwards turned himself in Friday afternoon on criminal homicide charges, and a charge of use of a weapon other than a gun to commit a felony.

"The sheriff and the county attorney have made no requests of Mr. Edwards with which he has not complied," Edwards' attorney Matt Higgins said.


Higgins said Edwards does not know anything about O'Grady's disappearance.

"Chris is not only an innocent man, he acts like an innocent man. Of course, he knows he's going to charged with homicide, so he's not happy about that. But he has confidence in the system. I think he's appropriately scared," Higgins said. "I think it's no big secret that all along, police have called him a suspect."

On June 2, Douglas County Chief Deputy Sheriff Marty Bilek told KETV NewsWatch 7 that Edwards was the one suspect investigators were looking at related to her disappearance.

Search warrants show O'Grady was en route to visit Edwards on the night she disappeared. A search warrant asks for telephone records related to the O'Grady case. Bilek said his office wants to know whom the girl was talking to and any clues to her whereabouts before she disappeared.

Higgins said on Friday that he would not comment on any of the evidence in the case. Higgins would also not say when Edwards may last have spoken with O'Grady. Higgins said Edwards' life has been on hold since officials identified him as the chief suspect in the disappearance. He said his client has cooperated with the investigation, but the sheriff's office disputes that claim.

"If he wants to completely cooperate with our office, he needs to tell us the whereabouts of Jessica O'Grady, and he has not done that yet," Bilek said.

Higgins said Edwards and O'Grady worked together, and had not known each other very long. Higgins took issue with reporters' questions that suggested that O'Grady is dead, and said the prosecution will struggle to build a homicide case with no body.

Chief Deputy Marty Bilek said the investigation is ongoing until a body is found.

"If we didn't have some certainty that she was deceased, we wouldn't be filing homicide charges against Chris Edwards," Bilek said.

The Douglas County Attorney's Office said it will look at the case over the weekend to determine exactly what charges to file against Edwards. An announcement is expected on Monday.

Bilek said his office has received some lab results in recent days that helped them put together their case, but he said no single piece of evidence has made the case. He said the timing of the arrest of Edwards isn't special.

Bilek said forensic evidence will make prosecution without a body possible. Bilek would not discuss specific evidence.

http://www.omaha.com...6&u_sid=2186078

Missing woman's boyfriend to turn himself in

Published Friday  June 9, 2006 BY KEVIN COLE  WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

The boyfriend of Jessica O'Grady, a 19-year-old Omaha woman who has been missing since May 10, was scheduled to turn himself in today in connection with her disappearance.

Christopher Edwards, who also is 19, was doing so at the request of authorities, said Leigh Ann Retelsdorf, the chief of the criminal division of the Douglas County Attorney's Office.

Chief Deputy Marty Bilek of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said Edwards will be arrested on suspicion of criminal homicide and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

Bilek said O'Grady's body has not been recovered.

Edwards has been the focus of the investigation into O'Grady's disappearance since shortly after she was reported missing. Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning said last month that investigators had a strong enough case to arrest Edwards, but until all the evidence was analyzed, investigators would hold off, opting instead to keep Edwards under 24-hour surveillance.

Dunning said Edwards was not cooperating with the investigation. If he were, Dunning said, officials would know where O'Grady was.

Edwards, through his attorney, said last month that he denied any involvement in O'Grady's disappearance.

Edwards, who has no criminal history, graduated from Omaha Burke High School in 2005. He and O'Grady worked at the same restaurant, O'Grady's family members said.

O'Grady, a student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, last was heard from just after 11:45 p.m. May 10 when she called a friend from her cell phone as she was driving. She said she was headed to the house where Edwards was staying.

The home, at 2546 N. 130th St., is northeast of 132nd and Blondo Streets in the Willow Wood subdivision. Edwards lived there with an aunt.

Kevin Stanzel, an uncle of O'Grady, said she told friends that she had taken a home pregnancy test and it had come back positive. Stanzel said he had not determined whether she was indeed pregnant.

O'Grady's car was found May 16 in a strip mall near 144th Street and West Center Road. Police said there were no signs of foul play in the vehicle.

The next day, investigators searched the house on 130th Street.

A neighbor reported seeing crews carry out a headboard, three large bed pillows and large paper bags.

Investigators with the Sheriff's Office served a second search warrant at the home May 22. More evidence was recovered, including a box spring that had been broken into little pieces.

Bilek said today that he is confident that the Sheriff's Office has enough evidence to prove that a homicide has been committed. He made a plea for the public's help in locating O'Grady's body.

"We're not going to consider this case resolved until we recover her body," he said. "We will keep working until that has been accomplished."

http://www.omaha.com...6&u_sid=2186354

Edwards friend: He wouldn't hurt a fly

Published Saturday  June 10, 2006 BY KEVIN COLE  WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Christopher Edwards "wouldn't hurt a fly," let alone another human being, a longtime friend said.

Edwards, 19, was arrested Friday in connection with the disappearance of University of Nebraska at Omaha sophomore Jessica O'Grady.

He is being held at the Douglas County Correctional Center.

Alex Ehly said that he has known Edwards, who has no criminal history, since fifth grade and that the two are best friends. They graduated from Burke High School in 2005 and attended the same nondenominational church, Eagle's Nest Worship Center, 5775 Sorensen Parkway.

Ehly said he was "floored" when he learned last month that police were looking at Edwards. "Based on the Chris that I know, he wouldn't hurt a fly. I have never seen a violent act from the guy, ever."

Matt Higgins, an attorney for Edwards, said his client denies any involvement in O'Grady's disappearance.

Ehly, a student at Grace University who plays on the school's basketball team, said he and another friend went golfing with Edwards on May 10. O'Grady disappeared that night.

"He seemed fine. There wasn't anything bothering him," Ehly said. "We were just catching up with each other."

Ehly said Edwards spoke of a girlfriend, but that it wasn't the 19-year-old O'Grady.

"To my knowledge, she (O'Grady) was just a person he worked with at the (Lone Star) restaurant. I had never heard that name before."

Ehly said his friend had an even temper.

"He was the peacemaker if a couple of guys were not getting along," Ehly said. "Not that our group of friends were ever really fighting or anything, but that's the kind of guy he is."

Edwards went to UNO during the fall semester, but took the spring semester off to work, Ehly said. Although the two friends were unable to see each other much during the basketball season, he said, they returned to hanging out about once a week this spring.

"He still seemed like the same kid I'd known growing up and went to church with," Ehly said. "Chris was always involved in the youth group there. He'd do whatever he could to help."

http://www.omaha.com...6&u_sid=2186369

Dornan: Case can be made without body

Published Saturday June 10, 2006  BY KRISTIN ZAGURSKI WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Douglas County Attorney Stu Dornan said Friday that he believes there is enough evidence to prove that Jessica O'Grady was killed, even though her body has not been found.

Having a body is ideal in death cases, Dornan said. But he said he is not reluctant to pursue charges against Christopher Edwards, who turned himself in to authorities on Friday.

"Cases can be proven either by direct or circumstantial evidence," Dornan said. "And in this case, we believe that there will be significant circumstantial evidence to establish death."

O'Grady, a 19-year-old college student, was last known to have been seen May 10. Investigators say they think she is dead.

Edwards, 19, was arrested on suspicion of criminal homicide. Matt Higgins, an attorney for Edwards, said his client denies any involvement in O'Grady's disappearance.

Dornan acknowledged that it's uncommon to try to prove a person killed someone without having a body as evidence. He knew of only one case in about 25 years in which his office filed a murder charge before a body was found.

The two victims' bodies in that case were found before it went to trial in 1980, so the lack of a body didn't become an issue for the jury.

In recent years, however, two area county attorneys have secured convictions in cases where the body never was found - one last year in Cass County, Neb., and the other in Pottawattamie County in 1998.

The Cass County case involved the 2003 disappearance of 4-year-old Brendan Gonzalez.

Brendan's body is believed to be in the Sarpy County Landfill, but extensive searches there never turned up his remains.

Brendan's father, Ivan Henk, has said he decapitated the boy. Investigators found Brendan's blood in a trash bin where Henk had said he dumped the body.

Henk pleaded guilty last year to first-degree murder before the case could go to trial.

Rick Crowl was Pottawattamie County attorney in 1998 when a jury convicted Terry Andersen of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Douglas Churchill of Council Bluffs.

Churchill's body never was found. Investigators believe he was dismembered and thrown in the Missouri River.

Churchill's blood was found at the killing scene and the site where his remains were dumped, Crowl said. Witnesses who testified to seeing the shooting helped firm up the case.

The difficulty of proving someone dead without a body depends on the case, Crowl said.

"I think the facts in our case were such that there really wasn't a big issue," said Crowl, now in private practice. But, he added, "the body is always the best evidence in a murder case, because you can, through forensics, show so much."

Forensics also can be helpful in putting together a case without a body, as in O'Grady's disappearance.

"With the forensics we have available to us today, it's easier to prosecute a homicide case without a body than it would have been 20 years ago," Douglas County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Marty Bilek said Friday. "The advances in technology and DNA evidence are such that we can be confident in our ability to prove our case."

Dornan said it is his duty as county attorney to file charges when he has enough evidence to prove someone guilty.

"In this case, the importance of going forward is that justice is not delayed or denied," he said. "That's what is important to our community and the safety of our citizens."

http://www.wowt.com/...es/3021596.html

Suspect Charged
Prosecutors say Jessica O'Grady was killed with a sword

Douglas County Attorney Stu Dornan has filed a Second-Degree Murder charge against 19-year-old Christopher Edwards. Prosecutors claim he killed Jessica O'Grady with a sword.

Edwards was arrested last week.

During a news conference Monday afternoon, Dornan said investigators believe that Ms. O'Grady was killed with a Bangkok battle sword, similar to those pictured on the right. It's a weapon that is 26 inches long with a 19 inch blade. Dornan says the death was intentional.

Nineteen-year-old Jessica O'Grady was last heard from on May 10th. Authorities say they are certain that she is dead but her body has never been found.

Edwards faces a bond hearing Tuesday and prosecutors say they ask that bond be denied.

Authorities say that Edwards was a boyfriend of O'Grady's and the house he lived in at the time of her disappearance has been searched twice during the course of the investigation. Several pieces of evidence were taken from the home near 130th and Cady.

Edwards surrendered to the sheriff on Friday afternoon, accompanied by attorney Matt Higgins who said his client is innocent.

Higgins said Friday, "he's confident in the system; he's confident in his lawyers and he's confident that he will be acquitted of this charge."

Jessica O'Grady's family members were at the Monday news conference as additional details of the case were unveiled but they said they would have no comment today.

http://www.wowt.com/...es/3041686.html

Bond Denied
Family says Jessica might have been pregnant

A judge has denied bond for 19-year-old Christopher Edwards, accused of Second-Degree Murder in the death of missing UNO student Jessica O'Grady.

Prosecutors told the judge he attempted to cover up evidence during their investigation and they believe that he would continue to do so if allowed to post bond.

The family has also confirmed the possibility that Jessica might have been pregnant at the time of her disappearance, although they will not comment on who the father would have been.

Miss O'Grady, 19, was last heard from on May 10th. Her car was later found in a parking lot at 144th and Center but there has been no sign of the UNO student since.

Authorities twice searched the home where Edwards was living at the time of O'Grady's disappearance and Edwards surrendered to the sheriff last Friday, although defense attorney Matt Higgins says Edwards is not guilty.

Authorities say they believe that O'Grady was killed with a Bangkok Battle sword similar to the ones pictured at right.

The weapon is described as being 26 inches long with a 19 inch blade.

Douglas County Attorney Stu Dornan says O'Grady's death was intentional.

While Miss O'Grady's body has not been located, authorities said last week that they would not have brought these charges if they were not certain that she was dead.

http://www.ketv.com/....s=oma&psp=news

Warrant: Blood Found All Over Edwards' Home; No Bond Set
Prosecutors Detail Case Against Chris Edwards

POSTED: 10:07 am CDT June 13, 2006  UPDATED: 10:12 am CDT June 13, 2006

OMAHA, Neb. -- No bond was set for a man accused in the death of missing University of Nebraska-Omaha student Jessica O'Grady, and evidence presented in court on Tuesday morning details large amounts of O'Grady's blood in the defendant's residence.

Christopher Edwards, 19, was charged Monday with second-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. Prosecutors said Edwards used a pair of 26-inch Bangkok battle swords to kill O'Grady, though her body has not been found.

On Tuesday, Edwards had a bond setting at the Douglas County Correctional Center courtroom. Prosecutors detailed evidence they have against him, including "large amounts" of blood that matches O'Grady's DNA. Prosecutors said O'Grady's blood was found on two swords recovered from Edwards' residence. Her blood was also on the headboard, mattress, comforter and the ceiling of Edwards' bedroom, according to prosecutors and search warrants.

The county attorney said Edwards' DNA was found on some tools taken from his home, and on the handles of the two swords removed from the residence.

Further evidence revealed on Tuesday showed that Edwards admitted a sexual relationship with O'Grady. Cell phone records indicate that O'Grady was at Edwards' residence the night before she was reported missing. The county attorney said Edwards tried to destroy evidence by wiping the swords' blades clean, and by using poster paint and shoe polish to try to cover the blood spatters.

Edwards' attorney asked that Edwards be turned over to his father, citing his cooperation with the investigation and his willingness to turn himself in, but the judge said no bond would be set because of the seriousness of the evidence.

After the hearing, O'Grady's family told KETV NewsWatch 7 that they are focused on recovering her. They said nothing they've learned about Edwards can surprise them anymore, and they are glad prosecutors have convincing evidence against him. The family did not speculate on a motive.

http://www.omaha.com...6&u_sid=2188209

Edwards held without bail in O'Grady case

Published Tuesday  June 13, 2006 BY JENNIFER GREFF  WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Jessica O'Grady's DNA was found on a sword, a mattress and tools belonging to Christopher Edwards, a prosecutor said today in court.

Rachelle O'Grady, the mother of Jessica O'Grady, leaves the Douglas County Correctional Center this morning after a bail hearing for Christopher Edwards. He is charged in the death of Jessica O'Grady.

Edwards, 19, faces charges of second-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony in connection with the death of O'Grady, also 19.

Investigators have said O'Grady was Edwards' girlfriend. Edwards also has another girlfriend, and she is pregnant, as was O'Grady, according to two people familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity. The two women knew each other, one of the people said.

O'Grady was killed with a 26-inch sword with a 19-inch blade, officials said.

Officials say two such swords were found in Edwards' bedroom, which was in the basement of his aunt's house at 2546 N. 130th St.

Forensic tests showed O'Grady's DNA was on at least one of them, said Douglas County prosecutor Matt Kuhse. The swords, which had been cleaned, had Edwards' DNA on the handle, Kuhse said.

Kuhse said Edwards had tried to conceal evidence in his bedroom by turning over a mattress stained with a large amount of blood and covering blood spatter on the walls with shoe polish. Forensic tests determined that the blood was O'Grady's, Kuhse said.

In addition, Kuhse said, O'Grady's blood was found in the trunk of Edwards' car, along with some tools that had her DNA on them.

O'Grady, a student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, last was heard from just after 11:45 p.m. May 10 when she called a friend from her cell phone as she was driving. She said she was headed to Edwards' house.

She and Edwards worked at the same restaurant.

O'Grady's body has not been found, but authorities say they think she is dead.

Attorneys representing Edwards have said he is innocent. Attorney Matt Higgins asked Douglas County Judge Edna Atkins to release Edwards, saying his client has cooperated with officials, has no criminal record and has extensive local ties.

Atkins ordered that Edwards be held without bail. He is being held at the Douglas County Correctional Center.

Kuhse said Edwards told investigators that he had a sexual relationship with O'Grady. Shauna Stanzel, O'Grady's aunt, said after today's hearing that she believes O'Grady was pregnant. She said she didn't know if that had anything to do with her niece's disappearance.

"Who knows," Stanzel said. "This, in my eyes, is unbelievable."

Stanzel and other members of O'Grady's family gathered after the hearing to comfort each other. Many of them were wearing buttons emblazoned with the teen's smiling face.

"She's the one we represent. She's the one we hold in our hearts every day," said Stanzel, speaking for the family.

Family members were relieved that investigators found substantial evidence, she said, but the evidence was disturbing.

"It's heinous. That's the only word that comes to mind," she said.

Monday, Douglas County Attorney Stu Dornan described the sword used to kill O'Grady as a "Bangkok battle sword."

Alex Ehly, a friend of Edwards, said he didn't think his friend had any swords.

"I've never known him to have any weapons. That's bizarre to me," he said Monday.

Dornan said O'Grady's death was an intentional killing, but because first-degree murder requires premeditation, a second-degree murder charge was filed.

"We charge what we can prove," he said.

Second-degree murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, with a minimum of 20 years. The weapons charge carries a maximum of 20 years, and a minimum of one year.

No additional charges are planned against any other people at this time, Dornan said.

Traci Harrison, another aunt of O'Grady's, said the family was working with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office to organize a search for O'Grady this weekend.

O'Grady's car was found May 16 in a strip mall near 144th Street and West Center Road. Police said there were no signs of foul play in the vehicle.

The next day, investigators conducted their first search of the house on 130th Street. During that search and another one May 22, they recovered such items as a headboard, three large pillows, carpeting, shovels, a stair rail and parts of a bed.

Anyone with information concerning O'Grady's whereabouts can call the Sheriff's Office at 333-1000.

http://www.wowt.com/...es/3041686.html

Edwards To Stand Trial
Edwards Charged - Bond denied

Degree Murder. He waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday in connection with the death of missing UNO student Jessica O'Grady. The judge denied bond.

Prosecutors told the judge that Edwards attempted to cover up evidence during their investigation and they believe that he would continue to do so if allowed to post bond.

The family has also confirmed the possibility that Jessica might have been pregnant at the time of her disappearance, although they will not comment on who the father would have been.

Miss O'Grady, 19, was last heard from on May 10th. Her car was later found in a parking lot at 144th and Center but there has been no sign of the UNO student since.

Authorities twice searched the home where Edwards was living at the time of O'Grady's disappearance and Edwards surrendered to the sheriff last Friday, although defense attorney Matt Higgins says Edwards is not guilty.

Authorities say they believe that O'Grady was killed with a Bangkok Battle sword similar to the ones pictured at right.

The weapon is described as being 26 inches long with a 19 inch blade.

Prosecutors say that Miss O'Grady's blood was found on two swords recovered from Edwards' residence and that her blood was on a headboard, mattress, comforter and the ceiling of Edwards' bedroom.

They claim that Edwards tried to cover up the crime by wiping the swords' blades clean and using paint and shoe polish to try to cover up blood spatters.

Prosecutors said in court on Tuesday that Edwards had admitted that he was sexually involved with Ms. O'Grady and they said Jessica was on her way to see him on May 10th, the night she disappeared. A tracking of Jessica's cell phone shows that she was in the Willow Wood area where Edwards lived on the night of the 10th.

Prosecutors say that a search of Edwards' vehicle found Jessica's blood in the trunk. They say her blood was also found mixed with Edwards' blood on the handle of one of the swords.

While Miss O'Grady's body has not been located, authorities said last week that they would not have brought these charges if they were not certain that she was dead but the motive remains unclear.

Jessica's aunt, Shauna Stanzel, said after court Tuesday, "Who knows what his motive was. Who knows what anybody's motive is when they do something this heinous. I mean this, in my eyes, is unbelievable. I'm sure it's unbelievable in the eyes of anybody."

O'Grady's family says they plan to organize another formal search for her and will be asking for the public's help.

http://www.fremontneb.com/articles/2.../d8i81rdg0.txt

Family plans weekend search for woman's body

OMAHA, Neb. - The family of a missing University of Nebraska at Omaha student will search for her body this weekend.

Jessica O'Grady disappeared on May 10. Her boyfriend, Christopher Edwards, has been charged with second-degree murder.

Douglas County sheriff's deputies will use a new satellite view of Douglas County to help the family plan the search.

"As people go to parks and go camping, as people walk around at dam sites and exercise, people go to different places _ by keeping your eyes open, you may help us find Jessica," Sgt. Matt Martin said.

Tuesday, a judge refused to let Edwards out on bail.

Edwards' lawyer says Edwards doesn't know anything about O'Grady's disappearance.

http://www.omaha.com...6&u_sid=2189246

Search resumes for O'Grady

Published Thursday June 15, 2006  BY JASON KUIPER  WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning said the search for 19-year-old Jessica O'Grady resumed Wednesday afternoon.

Jessica O'Grady has been missing since May 10.

Two separate locations were searched, but nothing was found, Dunning said.

Dunning said officers were working off some hunches about the whereabouts of O'Grady, a University of Nebraska at Omaha student who has been missing since May 10. Dunning and prosecutors have said O'Grady is presumed to be dead.

"Periodically, you get leads," Dunning said. "You have to check them all out."

Dunning said investigators were searching a property near Menards around 120th Street and West Dodge Road.

The United States ATV Search and Rescue Team assisted in a search around Cunningham Lake.

The volunteer group will be helping the family and investigators on another search this weekend. The location for that search hasn't been determined, Dunning said.

Earlier this week, Christopher Edwards, 19, was charged with second-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony in connection with O'Grady's presumed death.

http://www.ketv.com/...306/detail.html

'Area Of Interest' Is False Alarm
Cameras, Maps Provided To Searchers

POSTED: 4:28 pm CDT June 15, 2006  UPDATED: 5:43 pm CDT June 15, 2006

OMAHA, Neb. -- Searchers using all-terrain vehicles returned to Cunningham Lake on Thursday afternoon to search for the body of Jessica O'Grady, and they've reported an "area of interest" to the Douglas County Sheriff's Department.

At 4 p.m., deputies went to the lake to check out what was described as a KETV photographer as an area that looked like "a shallow grave." Deputies determined that the area was not related to the O'Grady case.

Searcher D.J. Ginsburg told KETV NewsWatch 7 that it looked like someone had dug a hole and filled it back in. He said his team will keep searching until sundown on Thursday. He said it was disappointing to hope they'd found something, only to find out it was not a clue in the case. He said searchers will keep going in hopes of giving the woman's family some closure.

Members of the USATV Search and Rescue team spent several hours combing the area around the lake on Wednesday afternoon, after investigators got a tip that O'Grady's body may be there. The 19-year-old University of Nebraska-Omaha student has been missing since May 10. Her boyfriend, Chris Edwards, is charged with second-degree murder.

No new evidence was turned up during Wednesday's search, but ATV searchers worked again on Thursday with some new equipment, including helmet cameras and detailed maps of the lake.

Searchers encountered acres of mud and trees in their four-hour search Wednesday night. The lake was recently drained for improvements. The group plans to return to the area Thursday afternoon to continue their efforts.

USATV Search and Rescue is a nonprofit volunteer group based in Omaha. It is affiliated with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, but works with law enforcement agencies in six states.

Volunteer search teams are looking for more people in the area to help with searches, including Thursday's. Contact DJ Ginsberg at 402-319-6324 or USATVTeam.com. The team will train any interested volunteers.

http://www.omaha.com...6&u_sid=2189767

Volunteers can join search for O'Grady planned Saturday

BY KEVIN COLE  WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Family and friends of missing UNO student Jessica O'Grady are asking the public to help search for her on Saturday.

Jessica O'Grady has been missing since May 10.

Traci Harrison, an aunt of the 19-year-old University of Nebraska at Omaha sophomore, said volunteers should come to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office near 156th Street and West Maple Road between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. The areas to be searched will be announced at that time.

"There won't be anyone there after 9 a.m., so if people can't make it by then, we will just ask for their prayers to help in our search," Harrison said. "If there is bad weather, we might have to postpone the search, but we will stay out there (at the Sheriff's Office) to let people know that."

Harrison said volunteers should come properly dressed to deal with the weather and carry sunscreen.

O'Grady has been missing since May 10 and is presumed dead.

Omahan Christopher Edwards, 19, was charged this week with second-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony in connection with the death of O'Grady. He is being held without bail.

Members of the United States ATV Search and Rescue team continued their search for O'Grady on Thursday around Cunningham Lake.

Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning said that six to nine members of the rescue team, who began the search Wednesday, are thoroughly canvassing the 1,500-acre site northeast of 96th and State Streets. Other areas of interest also will be investigated.

"We have a map set up to mark off the areas that have been searched so that we don't cover the same ground again," Dunning said. "With three groups searching for her - the rescue team, the family and the Sheriff's Department - we want to make sure this is properly coordinated."

Dunning said the search for O'Grady has taken "well over 250 man hours," but he has no intention of calling an end to it.

"We owe it to (O'Grady) and to her family to bring this to a conclusion," he said.

Dunning said he raised the idea with the county attorney about billing Edwards for the overtime hours and expenses if he is convicted.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of O'Grady is asked to call the sheriff's tip line at 402-333-1000.

http://www.ketv.com/...078/detail.html

Volunteers Search For Jessica O'Grady
Largest Search So Far For Missing Teen

POSTED: 7:23 pm CDT June 17, 2006  UPDATED: 7:35 pm CDT June 17, 2006

OMAHA, Neb. -- Saturday the family of Jessica O'Grady and more than 100 volunteers headed to Standing Bear Lake to search for the missing 19-year-old. Organizers say this was the largest search yet for O'Grady.

Volunteers were also looking for any personal items that might have belonged to Jessica.

Lisa Thurber helped search Saturday. She told Newswatch-7 she was volunteering her time in hopes of helping the O'Grady family during this trying time. "Closure for her family, whatever brings them peace. I hope they find what they're looking for," Thurber said.

O'Grady's family said nothing was found in Saturday's search to help lead investigators to Jessica O'Grady.

http://www.omaha.com...6&u_sid=2192684

Assortment of items seized in O'Grady case

BY LYNN SAFRANEK  WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Cleaning supplies, air fresheners, swords and throwing knives were among items seized from the basement bedroom of a 19-year-old man accused of killing a missing University of Nebraska at Omaha student, according to court documents made public today.

Jessica O'Grady has been missing since May 10.

Christopher Edwards and his aunt, with whom he lived, initially allowed investigators to search for evidence of Jessica O'Grady, the missing 19-year-old student.

Police focused on Edwards after hearing from O'Grady's friend, who last heard from O'Grady on May 10. O'Grady had became lost while trying to find Edwards' northwest Omaha home, the court records state.

Police found blood on the comforter and sheets of Edwards' bed, along with a bloodstain on a mattress and a headboard, and a square shovel in the back seat of Edwards' car.

Officers informed Edwards that the crime lab would be called to the residence, 2546 N. 130th St., and his aunt requested that the search end.

Investigators obtained the six search warrants after they were asked to leave the home. The search warrants previously had been sealed.

Edwards has been charged with second-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony in connection with the case. He is being held without bail at the Douglas County Correctional Center.

O'Grady's body has not been found, but authorities say that they believe she is dead. Investigators have said O'Grady was Edwards' girlfriend.

O'Grady was killed with a 26-inch sword with a 19-inch blade, officials said. Two such swords were recovered from a closet in Edwards' bedroom, which was in the basement of his aunt's house.

Forensic tests showed that O'Grady's DNA was on at least one of the swords, Douglas County prosecutor Matt Kuhse said. The swords, which had been cleaned, had Edwards' DNA on the handle, Kuhse said.

O'Grady was driving to Edwards' home the night of May 10. She believed Edwards was the father of her unborn child, her friends told police.

O'Grady's car was found May 16 at a strip mall near 144th Street and West Center Road - a block from the restaurant where O'Grady and Edwards worked together.

In a search warrant performed on O'Grady's car, Omaha police took DNA swabs from the interior and found an opened package of birth control pills.

The next day, investigators conducted their first search of the house on 130th Street.

From Edwards' home, investigators seized scissors, bedding, a microcassette recorder, a piece of the ceiling, a cell phone, American Eagle jeans and flip-flop sandals.

O'Grady last was seen wearing jeans and flip flops.

Douglas County deputies also seized phone records showing that O'Grady and Edwards had text messaged each other before she disappeared.

Investigators also seized candles and air fresheners from the home.

Douglas County deputies learned from a friend of Edwards' that Edwards had a pair of matching swords that he kept in his bedroom closet. The friend had seen the swords a month earlier.

The investigators recovered the swords and three throwing knives in the bedroom closet. A knife catalog and brochures were underneath basement stairs.

Numerous cleaning materials were seized, including yellow rubber gloves, scouring pads, a long-handled scrub brush and a mop.

http://www.wowt.com/...es/3197441.html

O'Grady Case Details
Judge unseals several search warrants

More details are surfacing concerning the disappearance of UNO student, Jessica O'Grady. A judge unsealed several search warrants in the case Tuesday morning.

The Sheriff believes that 19-year-old Jessica O'Grady text-messaged a friend on May 10th at 11:30 p.m. saying that she had gotten lost on her way to Christopher Edwards' house.

Edwards was living at his aunt's house and that residence soon became the focus of Douglas County Sheriff's Investigators.

Six search warrants give a closer look into what investigators were thinking as they developed the investigation.

The day after O'Grady was believed to have disappeared, a sheriff's deputy said that surveillance video from a northwest Omaha Walgreens showed Edwards buying items that, investigators believe, were used in the concealment of evidence.

It has also been learned that O'Grady believed Edwards to be the father of her unborn child.

The documents state that investigators were given permission to search the home but when detectives say they found a large amount of suspected blood evidence soaked into one end of Edwards' mattress, they decided to call in a crime lab and were asked to leave. That's when they pursued the search warrant and collected 38 items from the house.

Some of the items included a white trash bag containing apparent box spring lining, pieces of wood and filling for an apparent box spring, a paper sack containing three pieces of light brown carpet from the stairs leading to the basement, rubber gloves, scour pads and a scrub brush.

Jessica O'Grady's family has said that their focus is on finding Jessica, not on the criminal case.

"She's the one we need to focus on," said Shauna Stanzel, Jessica's aunt. "We don't want to focus on Chris Edwards. You never stop thinking about it, never stop thinking about Jessica."

Through his attorney, Edwards has said that he is an innocent man. He remains in jail at this time.

It also appears that from the phone records requested, the sheriff's office has tried to figure out where Edwards spent his time following O'Grady's disappearance using cell phone towers.

Edwards' attorney had no comment on the search warrant but found it interesting that the documents were released to the public before the defense had a chance to see the paperwork.