Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Local Youth Find Dead Body

Several local seventh graders ended up with quite a suprise this afternoon when they stumbled upon a dead body located just a little west and south of Terry & Penny Drury's big shop building near the Blue Hill baseball diamonds. The body was wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes a baseball cap and a short sleeve shirt and had some signs of decay. As of this reporting, law enforcement has been on the scene since prior to 6:45 pm. Conflicting reports suggest that the body was either located partially in a snow bank or under an old pick-up truck topper. Although no confirmation or connection has been made, one Blue Hill resident reports having heard on his radio scanner that a guest of the Life Quest at Belle Amis Assisted Living Facility had been reported missing about a month or so ago. Other (mostly less likely) rumors related to this incident are also running rampant. Police told KHAS-TV 5 that they had no comment at this time and were in the process of investigating the incident.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Surely if a resident of Belle Amis had gone missing our local Law enforcement would have been searching for them, oh yes, I forgot we have no local law enforcement. Kinda looks like we got some kind of crime lab down by the crime scene right now, wonder where they are from. I wonder if this will change peoples additude about the need for law enforcement. Tell us again how we don't need law enforcement.

Anonymous said...

NTV also said that the Webster Co. Sherrif's department had declined to give any comment.

Anonymous said...

What crime was committed? So they found a dead body. That doesn't mean a crime was committed. It could have been an accidental death.

Anonymous said...

The Webster County Sheriff's Office says a body was found about 20 miles south of Hastings in Blue Hill Tuesday.

Sheriff Troy Schmitz said some children playing in a private field near the baseball fields found what he is describing as skeletal remains. Schmitz said the children told their parents, who notified authorities.

Schmitz said he didn't want to speculate how long the body had been in the field but said it was definitely before the last snowstorm. No foul play is suspected and the Sheriff's Office is looking into local missing persons trying to identify the remains.

The case is currently under investigation and an autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday.

The Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab assisted in the initial investigation and removal of the remains

Anonymous said...

What I'm having a hard time understanding is if this is a Bell Amis resident, why has it taken so long to locate him. BH is not that large of an area I can't beleive that had a true search been done that he shouldn't have been located before now. How tragic to think that a resident of Bell Amis or, any resident for that matter, can go missing and so little effort is put into locating them. Logically having local law enforcement could help in that an officer on duty might notice someone wandering aimlessly.

jessephred said...

Andy Raun
araun@hastingstribune.com

BLUE HILL — A human skeleton was found in an out-of-the-way location here late Tuesday afternoon, and authorities are working to determine the deceased person’s identity.

Foul play was not being suspected as of this morning, Webster County Sheriff Troy Schmitz said in a telephone interview.

Schmitz said some young boys playing near the town baseball field had discovered the frozen skeletal remains. Subsequently, authorities received an emergency call at 5:57 p.m.

The skeleton was found along a fence line on private property in an area filled with trees and tall weeds, Schmitz said. The area in question is at the north end of Blue Hill, west of U.S. Highway 281.

Anonymous said...

Sidney Troxel went missing from Belle Amis some time ago. He had a heart condition. He up, until this time, didn't turn up. The city of Blue Hill was never asked to help look for him. Guess those residents are kept real safe aren't they.???? If this isn't Sidney TRoxel, where is Sidney Troxel and why havne't authorities of Webster co or people from Belle Amis organized a search???

Anonymous said...

being a current staff at belle amis and a resident of blue hill i know that there was a significant search for Syd, and we went down every avenue to find him. if you dont know the facts it may be a good idea for you to not say things that arent true because you can open yourself up to a lawsuit for slander.

Anonymous said...

YOU have got to be kidding!!!
Slander. !!!! An effective search would have found him if this turns out to be him. A superficial search did not. Did the search include stopping at every door and asking every resident to help find the lost. I have seen poster put up for a lost cat, ads in the newspaper for a lost pet. I never heard of this individual being missing...

I guess whether or not the search was "significant" depends on what you think significant means.

I can't be sued for slander for having an opinion!!!

Anonymous said...

Just because you werent personally asked to help look doesnt mean a search wasnt initiated. there isnt very far for a person to go because blue hill is 20 miles from any significant city/town, so there has never been a resident that has gotten far. except for Syd. however we do not know for sure that the body is Sydney's remains, they are only specualting that it is him.

Anonymous said...

The last Anonymous that says "they have never gone far" is simply a bold face liar. Just a couple weeks ago I brought one back from a nature walk west of Bladen.
The fact is they are not properly cared for and now we may have found how they are disposed of.

Anonymous said...

Well I guess it is no loss anyway. If this person was not worth the simple paper it would have taken to post there disappearance they why should we care. How hard would it have been to put up a missing person poster at the Country Store? How much would it have cost to print something in the local paper asking for help finding them?
It is just disgusting to think that anyone could defend a business that wont take even the simplest measures to assure that there residence are kept safe.
Was Belli Amis still getting a check for this person??
Why did the sheriff not put together a search teem??
The handling of this matter is a crime!!!!!!!!!! Even if the body was not from Belli Amis

Anonymous said...

I guess there again we need to define "far". Maybe Bladen isn't far. I remember knowing of one former resident of Belle Amis who was picked up by law enforcement up by St. Paul, dehydrated and sick, but that probably wasn't far. China is "far", One has never made it as far as China.

If a big thing had been made of a resident being missing we would have a problem with the image of Belle Amis and we wouldn't want to tarnish that image. They do after all take care of their residents.If your loved one, your child, your teenager, your parent, your grandparent, had turned up missing you would have went out and looked that evening and when you didn't find them you would have gone back to "business as usual". ????
Well, I guess I am different, I would have looked every day, I would have posted posters, I would have contacted the news media. I would have asked every resident of Blue Hill, of WEbster County to check their property, check their garages and out buildings, windbreaks, etc. A search that didn't include the cooperation of the whole community was "insignificant". Private proptery could not have been searched without permission of the property owner. A complete and effective search needed the cooperation of the entire community. Every member of the community should have been aware that a member of the community was missing.
But "throw away people are different" we have more of those than we need, so we don't have to a significant search when one of those go missing, right????

Who was "responsible" for this person???

Belle Amis, the state, the people of the community?

Anonymous said...

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.
Winston Churchill

Anonymous said...

Do you people ever watch the local news? His name,picture and discription was on the news channels several times!!! Just because you didn't know about it it, doesn't mean that law enforcement or Belle Amis did anything wrong!! Did you ever stop and think that maybe a search was done several times!! You people are such smart people, why didn't you find the body??? You seem too know it all, you should have known about this and took care of it!!! WOW it is better to be thought a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubt!!! Try it sometime.

Anonymous said...

We did not find the body because you did not tell anyone there was a missing person. I do watch TV and it was not on. You are just trying to cover up criminal acts after the fact. Take a survey of the people in Blue Hill (the area were this person was last seen) see just how many knew about the person missing. It is clear that no effort was made to find them. Check craigslist or the country store an see the posters for a missing dog, did you ever think of giving this person that much respect an posting some kind of message letting people of the area know that someone was missing. Hunts for a missing person do not end. Remember when the two people went into the sewer pond by Glenvil that search went on for years. There were posters on trucks in several states, billboards, news articles, an organized search teem, and much more. Belle Amis just did not want this public so the hid it from the very people who could have helped. You can try to defend there actions but we all know they are the ones to blame for this poor soul. They could not be more guilty if they had pulled a trigger themselves.

Anonymous said...

"You people are so smart, why didn't you find the body."

1. Like it has been said before, didn't know about him. Nope, don't take time to watch the news don't care. Lots of people don't watch the news, too busy with sports, work, hunting, playing video games, reading blogs.
Nobody got in my face and made me aware.

2. Not my job. Didn't know the guy. Didn't get paid to take care of him. Didn't know he existed. Not my reponsibility.

So how about you? Was it your job?
Did you know about him? Was he your responsibility? Did you do all you could? Would you have treated the disappearance of you loved one the same as you treated this persons disappearance?

Someone did something wrong, because someone was entrusted to take care of an individual that was not able to take care of themselves, and they were lax in their attention to him, he is missing and if the remains are not those of the person who went missing, then there is still a missing person out there that no one is actively searching for. Are you going to tell me you care?

Anonymous said...

Fact is the law enforcement was called. Webster County Sheriff and staff and residents of Belle Amis went looking for Mr. Troxel. Hiding things from the comunity I don't think so. The people that have given the facility a chance and come to visit, I am assured they can tell you the residents are cared for. We did not go house to house because after talking to Mr. Troxel's family we were informed he has taken off before and has been as far as Texas. This is so terrible that some people need to make accusations and judgement on people they know nothing about. The facility is mourning the death of a member of our own little community, have compassion and some empathy. Hind sight is always 20/20, and don't you think that we are beating ourselves up for not going in everyones yards. But we had to think, which is sad, about the community accusing our facilty of invading their privacy and never in a million years would we have thought he would be where he was found. When he went missing it was on the news, his picture and all, and it was asked of everyone to please help find this man due to his medical condition. This is a terrible tragedy and I will probably never get over it. I do not need to feel any worse. Whatever you people want ot think of me go ahead and do so. I care about the residents whether you want to believe so or not. People that know me accuse me of caring too much. Belle Amis is different from Life Quest, but you people are so simple minded, you can't even get the name straight. If any one has any questions or concerns come talk to me and don't blog it on this site. What is this to do for you? I don't have time for this , but after being told about the gossip I felt the need to set people straight. Come talk to me anonymous, why can't you give your name? Are you spineless and can only attack people being unknown. I am different, I will come at you with the truth, and sign my name on anything I say. Talking crap about the law enforcement is really going to do you some good isn't it. I would think you would support them so that they can help the community as much as they can. Small town logic baffles me. I guess in the big cities we are a little more open minded. But I don't want what I am writing to be all negative, I want to thank all the kind people of Blue Hill and the Lutheran church for their support, and caring words and visiting the residents. Sidney was a wonderful man and I know how much I cared for him and he loved me as well. The Thursday before he left he bought me a beautiful bouquet from the Blue Hill Florist with a card that read, thankyou for all you have done for me. So I am hurting right now and I do not need this simple minded crap. Again any concerns with me or the facility bring them to me not to a blog. Laura Downing Administrator of Life Quest

Anonymous said...

Have the remains been identified as the missing Mr. Troxel? It seems like Laura Downing is convinced that it is he.

Anonymous said...

Being a current staff at belle amis and a resident of blue hill i know that there was a significant search for Syd. Plus, every time the Residents go out you all complain about them being out and you all have the nerve to sit here and open your alls mouth. After we give a missing persons report the Sheriffs take over, If you want to sit and point fingers maybe Blue Hill needs to get some Law Enforcement. Instead of Complaining about Bella Amis Maybe you all need to get to know the Staff and The residents ....

Carol Matthews said...

Everybody take a deep breath. These reactions are normal when town of any size discovers the remains of human being in its midst. However, making accusations, blaming, pointing, criticizing, and so on are not helpful if you don't have all of the information, as none of us do. People get lost, wander off and sometimes die before they are discovered. I feel sadness and grief that this person suffered and died alone. I hope he's in a better place now.

Please consider signing your name to your posts. There is less chance you will be nasty if you do sign your name.

Carol Matthews

Anonymous said...

The disturbing thing to me is if this person was from Belle Amis and was missing...why was there no search? Why wasnt the community informed. These residents of Belle Amis are human beings not just a menise to society as most people feel. Shame on those who did not look for this gentleman...may he RIP!

RG said...

Well said Carol.!! I agree with everything you said ..... also wish to extend my sympathy to the administrator, staff and residents of Lifequest who were all part of Mr. Troxel's "family."
Rosaleen Gianakos

Dewey Lienemann said...

I feel that I must respond to the blatant disregard to human decency that some writers in this blog are exhibiting. I am shocked, disgusted & highly disappointed by what I have been reading. We live neighbors to Life Quest & know each of the residents, owner & employees. My wife goes there faithfully each evening and works with them, does crafts, plays games, celebrates events, bringing little joys & a sparkle to their eyes. She is joined by a few other good people who also see fit to stop by. Have any of you ever walked through their door? How many of you really know what really goes on at this fine facility? We do. It is a little community in its own right. They laugh, they cry, they hurt and they miss their families and heir homes. They also know what others say about them. They are human beings, with intelligence & lives. They have, for what ever reason, just reached a point that some of us may some day experience ourselves. We can attest to the fact that Laura Downing, Life Quest administrator & employees deeply care & work with the residents to make their stay as enjoyable as they can. Remember, this is not a lock down facility these individuals have rights just as you & I do. They have a right to walk, enjoy nature & wave at people whom they hope will wave back. They have done a great job with these less fortunate people & should be commended for this, plus the support they give our community. You may have heard Life Quest listed as supporter of Bobcats at State, as well as other activities & events. They are trying hard to be a part of our community. Where is the support back? I cannot believe the number of hypocrites who have commented on the status of people that live there. I have heard people who have never set foot in the place, denigrate, point fingers, & show total disdain for residents and a legitimate business. They act as if they are indignant about the care & welfare of the people there, when in fact they won’t spend a moment getting to know them or volunteering to help these people, who seem to have been forgotten by society. I say hypocrites, because some of these “solid citizens” say that if they knew Sid was missing, they would have been out looking for hours or even days. Give me a break! What cabbage leaf did you come out from under? I know for certain that posters were put up with his picture/description, radio & TV stations did run the story. In fact my sister-in-law in Omaha even saw it & called us about it. The staff did look diligently for the missing resident. Law enforcement was contacted, did their job & looked for him as well. We asked local people about him & when we mentioned that he was from Life Quest, it was like a switch went off. He was not important then, because of where he lived, & because they did not know him! It is amazing to me that now all of a sudden Sid is important to the people who turned a blind eye & deaf ear last May. That is where the hypocrisy started, long before the remains were found. My wife and I drove the streets and highways looking for the missing man and walked the parks. We feel as bad as anyone that he ended up, unfound, so close to his “home” in Blue Hill. Believe me - just the thought that it may be Sid is devastating to the residents, staff & administrator of Life Quest. They lost a member or their community, a member of their expanded family. Blue Hill is a great town with compassionate, loving & caring people. There are a few, however, who have bitterness, lack of compassion & respect to their fellow man that should have no place in society, let alone in our community. I want to close by commending the fine young people who found the remains and did the right thing. They may have brought closure to someone’s loved ones, perhaps a spouse, mother, brother, sister, son, or daughter. It is more that I can say for others, who should exhibit more constraint, love, and definitely more respect for their fellow man and those around them.

Connie Lienemann said...

Human Remains Identified

Updated: March 5, 2010 09:21 PM CST

Authorities have identified human remains found in Blue Hill as missing resident Sidney Troxel.